Good Vital Signs for Health Fair

Monarch Square was bustling with student activity April 16 as hundreds of students gathered inside the tall circus-like tents at the Valley College Health Fair.

More than 300 students stopped throughout the day at the second annual fair, which was organized by Valley's Health Fair coordinator Laura Camberos and the Student Health Center.

The fair featured community and campus resources that provided a variety of examinations, educational material and even some massages. Live musical performances, dancers and healthy food choices, such as salads, were also available to fit the fair's theme of "My Health, My Future."

"It's very important to learn healthy behaviors now as a young adult," said Camberos, citing that half of Valley's student body is 18-24 years old. "The behaviors that you pick up now will stay with you for the rest of your life. Even if you're not thinking of it now, you'll notice it later. Learning good habits are going to help you live a longer, healthier life."

Camberos said some of the day's largest crowds came out during the onstage performances from the Valley Players, a college faculty band, and workout routines from Patty's aerobic dancers. One of the most popular booths belonged to the Valley respiratory therapy program, with anxious students lining up to have their lungs and heart rate checked.

"This test is important for everyone to have checked," said Grigori Galstyan, a respiratory student administering the test. "It basically tells you your lungs, ability to breathe healthy."

Galstyan said that most of the students had normal lung values, and that if anyone was outside of an acceptable range, they were advised to visit a doctor for further testing.

The event took place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and left a positive impression with many students, who were able to get their body fat measured, get tested for sexually transmitted diseases and also learn about insurance options.

"I enjoyed it, it gives a lot of information about yourself that you wouldn't know," said Abran Talavera, a chemistry and etymology major. "I visited the Blue Cross booth because a lot of students here don't have insurance, and I found out that for me it costs less."

This year's fair was much larger than the last one, attracting more useful programs for students, something the health center said was important to them.

"We do this to have the students realize what resources are on campus for health services as well as all the great community resources out there," said Sonya Nodal, the health center's physician's assistant. "The fact that we were able to reach out to so many more students this year than last year is great."