Pictured: from left, LEAD-ABC scholars Cassandra Smith, Jeannine Viruet, Olamide Sonuga, Suha Abduselam, Tyler Duvernay, and Alex Balfour.
The Community Well-Being Health Fair, a service-learning project, was conceived during a Leadership Education to Advance Diversity – African, Black & Caribbean (LEAD-ABC) capacity building workshop.
As a first of its kind, this health fair was brought into fruition by second-year medical students and LEAD-ABC scholars Cassandra Smith, Jeannine Viruet, Olamide Sonuga, Suha Abduselam, Tyler Duvernay, and Alex Balfour.
The students worked for the past eight months to organize and plan the details of the health fair. They wrote and acquired the Physicians for a Healthy California Med Students Serve grant along with additional funding from numerous community partnerships they have created.
The fair consisted of several health booths and activities highlighting heart health, diabetes prevention, mental wellness, along with dental hygiene practices for all ages. They also provided COVID-19 vaccines, set up an active play space for kids, and provide a sugar demonstration by PERC.
Health screenings such as blood pressure and blood sugar readings were also available for attendees. The event included free food to participants and raffle prizes, as well as a volunteer opportunity for local high school, undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, nursing, and medical students.
Community partners that were featured at the fair were:
New Hope Presbyterian Church
The Coalition of Orange County Clinics
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
The Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center
The Centers for Autism and Neurodevelopment (CAND).
Numerous UCI physicians donated their time to be a part of this event and educate the community on various aspects of health. With hard work and dedication, these scholars were able to positively impact the health of nearly one hundred community members of Orange County.
During this inaugural year, LEAD-ABC scholars laid a strong foundation with hopes of making the health fair an annual event for the Orange County community.
LEAD-ABC is a UCI School of Medicine mission-based program aimed at producing future physicians who are committed to addressing the health needs of African, Black and Caribbean communities in California, the United States, and beyond.