SRU’s Office of Campus Recreation sponsored its 32nd annual Healthfest, where numerous organizations offered free health screenings and exhibits.
Brian Mortimer, associate director of campus recreation had set up the event since 1999 but this year’s duties were passed to Ryan Stack, assistant director of wellness. Stack was unavailable for comment.
Mortimer said that over 60 exhibits attended Healthfest, including Grove City’s Anytime Fitness, AVI Foodsystems, Grove City Medical Center and PA Department of Health. Some health screenings that were offered at the event were a body composition screening, depression screening and Hepatitis C screenings.
Mortimer said the goal of Healthiest is to feature all elements of SRU’s President’s Commission on Wellness, such as physical, social and intellectual wellness.
“They were all represented at Healthiest,” Mortimer said.
Various organizations offered flu shots, including Giant Eagle and SRU Student Health Services. Renee Bateman, health promotion coordinator, said that health services gave out 68 flu shots during Healthfest.
Bateman spoke highly of Healthfest and the role it plays in helping students.
“It is amazing that Campus Recreation can gather a wide range of different organizations to come to Healthfest and provide the students and community with free screenings,” Bateman said.
Mortimer said that over 700 people attended Healthfest in total and took part in the different sessions and information sessions offered.
“I think there was a lot of excellent information on every single topic of wellness from top to bottom,” Mortimer said.
Mortimer said the overall goal of Healthfest was to get students and the local community more involved in their health.
“I think if we look at a student’s perspective [on health] it’s something that may not hit home,” Mortimer said. “But if they start walking around Healthfest and learning about all these different things that could help you, it helps them develop goals and have more awareness.”
Mortimer said Healthfest is also beneficial to student groups, who get to interact and show what they’ve learned in classes.
“All the student groups get an opportunity from their classes to put together a fantastic exhibit and they get to work on their skills educating people about their [health] risks and how it affects their body,” Mortimer said.
