Free Health Fair at CHSU Helps Hundreds Receive Health Care Screenings and Education

California Health Sciences University hosted a free health fair for all ages on Saturday, October 31st from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at their College of Pharmacy campus in Clovis. Free health care services, health screenings and education for the entire family were offered at the health fair.
100 flu shots were given to qualified people seven years and older, which were administered by second year pharmacy students with certified immunization training and supervised by Walgreens’ pharmacists. Walgreens sponsored the no cost flu shots and were prepared to offer them to the first 300 qualified people.
Other health screenings and assessments for asthma, vision, heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, and fall risk were conducted by licensed health providers from CHSU, Fresno State, Fresno Pacific, UCSF Fresno and the community through the My Clinic at CHSU booth that was organized and overseen by the Executive Director of Clinic Operations, Midori Kondo, PharmD, MHA.

“We were pleased to have hundreds from our great community attend our first health fair to receive the important health care they deserve,” stated Dr. Wendy Duncan, SVP for Academic Affairs, Provost and Interim Dean of Pharmacy at CHSU. “We are also grateful to our sponsors – especially our major sponsor Community Medical Centers – and the other fine local companies that support our mission to improve healthcare outcomes of people living in Central California. We look forward to hosting and participating in future health fairs to give our students, faculty and staff the opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise and really make an impact in our region.“

This first health fair was sponsored by Community Medical Centers, Walgreens, Granville, Rite Aid, LaBuena 101.9, Exitos 107.1, California Bank and Trust, Central Valley Community Bancorp, InnovaRx and Deli Delicious.

Twenty-three health services agencies and non-profits participated in the event offering free health education for diabetes, heart health, nutrition, injury and trauma prevention, tobacco use and demonstrations on CPR, first aid and how to use an AED device. The Fresno County Sheriffs also attended the event to safely dispose of expired and unused prescription medications.
Attendees also received free giveaways and prizes at each booth. Water, fresh fruit, vegetables and healthy snacks were provided at the health fair courtesy of Nisei Farmers’ League, Wawona Frozen foods, and Valley Coffee.

This all ages event offered fun for the entire family with free kids’ activities including a bounce house, inflatable slide, face painting, balloon animals, games, cotton candy, popcorn, a costume contest, and healthy trick-or-treating.
22 different languages – including Spanish, Hmong, Vietnamese, Armenian, Hindi, Punjabi, and Farsi to name a few – were spoken by the nearly 200 volunteers.
While the primary goal of the event was to provide health care screenings, services and education to those in need, university officials and volunteers were very pleased with the other benefits achieved and the overall impact. Collaborating with other health professionals, health services agencies, area universities and colleges and health professional students is a high priority for us at CHSU and this event exceeded our expectations in that regard, stated Duncan. Volunteers also received excellent experiences in patient care, community service, professionalism and cultural competency, which is instrumental to their professional development in becoming compassionate health care providers.

In order to assess the effectiveness of the health fair, organizers created a brief survey for attendees to provide feedback to help with planning of future events. 84% of the respondents rated the professionalism of the staff as excellent and 16% rated it as good. When asked about the likelihood of changing habits as a result of information received at the health fair, the majority of respondents indicated they would with 41% indicating strongly agree and 36% agreed. See the full survey results below.


To download a PDF of the 4-page 2015 Free Community Health Fair at CHSU Impact Report, click here.
To view the photos from the Community Health Fair at CHSU, click here
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If you are interested in volunteering or participating in future health fairs, please contact Richele Kleiser, Vice President for Marketing and Communications, at rkleiser@chsu.edu.
About California Health Sciences University (CHSU)
CHSU offers a four year, Doctor of Pharmacy program for local students and beyond. With a mission to improve health care outcomes for people within the region, CHSU College of Pharmacy trains pharmacy students to provide primary patient care in conjunction with other health care providers. CHSU is now accepting applications for the third cohort of students that will start in August 2016. Qualified applicants will be invited to a day-long interview and top candidates will be invited to begin their professional school career at the first pharmacy school in the Central Valley.
For more information about the Doctor of Pharmacy program at CHSU, visit www.chsu.edu, call 559-325-3600 or find them on facebook, twitter and Linkedin.