LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Entering their final year of school, UK College of Nursing seniors kick started their semester with the UK College of Nursing Day of HOPE.
The students have been collaborating with the Hope Center to organize a free community health fair for the center’s clients.
“We’re just trying to give back to the community a little bit,” said nursing senior Ben Fischer.
Around 40 UK nursing students set up booths around the Hope Center, offering guidance and educational handouts on blood pressure, smoking cessation, nutrition, and more.
“The first step to having a healthy life is being able to prevent things and having good habits, and that’s what we’re trying to enforce here and promote to everyone who comes,” said Fischer.
UK Dean and Warwick Professor of Nursing Rosalie Mainous said, “Sometimes access to services, particularly in preventative health, might be scarce, so we wanted to come in front of this population, work with them and see what their needs and concerns are and offer preventative healthcare and direction for the future to help everyone be as healthy as they can be."
Mainous, who also serves on the board of the Hope Center, believes the collaboration between the entities strengthens them both. Students get to put their teachings to use, and clients leave better informed.
“It's a big deal for us and our clients because while we're walking through are recovery program or we're housing them, we're really focused on what's right in front of us today, recovery, housing, self sufficiency, and these additionally resources aren't always something that we have time to address,” said Katie Vogel, director of development at the Hope Center.
A free health fair isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last partnership between UK Nursing and the Hope Center. After all, service and hope go hand in hand.
“I am so proud because they don’t have to be here, they’re here as volunteers, and we’re trying to instill that service mission,” said Mainous.
“It's really fulfilling to be able to do, I'm glad we were able to get this organized,” said Fischer.
