Story by Cody Hall, Contributing writer
Getting into the doctor for a checkup isn’t always easy for professors, so Murray State brought the checkup to them with the help of Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky.
Murray State and Lourdes Hospital hosted a health fair for the faculty, staff and their families. At the fair, they received free blood work, electrocardiograms and general health information. Lourdes Hospital provided staff and funds for the fair as part of its spring outreach program.
Lauren Smee, wellness coordinator for Murray State, helps organize the event every year. These biannual health fairs have been going on for eight years to provide important information about health issues for those who attend, Smee said.
“It’s for the benefit of everyone involved,” Smee said.“They provide the health info and free screenings to help keep the staff healthy and happy.”
The event health workers had an area where they could conduct blood work and EKG screenings in privacy.
All the work done was processed at Lourdes and checked for abnormal results.
“People don’t think that their health is a priority,” said Davida French, a spokeswoman for Lourdes.
“Lourdes has been working to help raise awareness to health issues,” French said. “We talk about nutritional issues and the importance of having a regular physician that they can see.”
Lourdes hosts events like this for other employers aiming to keep their workers healthy. Health officials highly recommended attendees to work with a local physician after the event.
Murray State nursing students set up informational booths around the room with poster boards, talked to faculty and provided brochures about health issues.
These forms included stress evaluations, mental health issues, heart health and various forms of cancer.
“It’s important that the students do promotional activities,” said Dana Manley, community health professor. “All clients need health education, and this is a great way the students can help with that.”
“It’s a win-win,” she said. “The students get experience, and the faculty and staff get educated.”
Lindsee Lyles, senior from Lexington, Tennessee, was among the student nurses to help run the event. She said the most important part is to educate members of the public about possible issues they could have.
Lyles said she was happy to help with the event for the people that don’t have adequate insurance.
“We aren’t doing this for our sake,” Lyles said. “It’s for others.”
“We have the knowledge that we need to keep ourselves healthy, but we need to let others know that these are real issues and how to deal with them,” she said.
