By Jolie Shultz
Staff Writer
Hutchinson Community College’s annual Student Health and Wellness Fair will take place Wednesday in the Parker Student Union and in the Blue Dragon Room, as well as some vendors taking up shop outside the union.
The wellness fair will start at 8:30 a.m. and continue through 12:30 p.m.
“The goal is to give students information on how to live healthy, not just their physical health but their mental health and spiritual health,” said Michelle Wortham, the Administrative Assistant to Vice President of Student Services.
There will also be snacks, prizes, t-shirts (while supplies last) given out to the students who attend the fair.
HutchCC’s campus greenhouse will also be giving out plants.
“Statistics say that having a plant, having something that is reliant on you to take care of, helps students be more successful,” Wortham said
A wide variety of information will be offered as well, from information free clinic services offered by Open Door Health Services to suicide prevention.
Open Door Health Services, as well as other local groups, will be offering free STI (syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis-c) screenings, as well as offering HIV Rapid Tests.
There will also be testing for anxiety and depression, as well as ADHD, offered at the Wellness Fair.
The Crosspoint Challenge group will also be making an appearance to talk to visitors about ways to get involved spiritually.
The HutchCC Cosmetology department will be there as well to offer eyebrow waxes and paraffin dips.
Massage chairs will be offered as well.
“Michelle and HutchCC have done such a great job at getting a well rounded picture of wellness,” said Heather Enochs, College Counselor. “There’s a lot of wellness areas that some people may not be aware of, and they cover a lot of that”
The wellness fair is usually popular with students who attend.
“I think it’s really cool that HutchCC offers something like this,” said Nickerson sophomore Carly Bontrager. “I’ve known a lot of people who’ve struggled with mental health and trying to cope with it as well as being in school can be really challenging. It’s nice to know that HutchCC truly does care about the students, and them offering this shows that.”
