May 28, 2015

This year, the City of Philadelphia hosted the 4^th Annual Veterans Fair, which provides job opportunities, health resources, scholarships, and more.  The fair, which took place on May 13, featured many Philadelphia area business, schools, and universities, as well as live entertainment. 

The College of Nursing and Health Professions has been involved since the fair’s inception in 2011, offering free health screenings to veterans and other visitors.  The booth was organized by Rocky Rockstraw, PhD, assistant Dean for Simulation, Clinical & Technology Academic Operations.  Faculty, staff, and students performed eye exams and blood pressure, blood glucose, and body mass index screenings. Volunteers provided general health tips and advised visitors to schedule appointments with their primary care physicians if any problems presented in their results.

The booth saw over 125 visitors, the largest crowd to date, according to one volunteer. The most popular spot by far was the blood pressure screening table.   Volunteer Jackelyn Huanira said “Overall, the health screenings were a success and a great way to give back to the veterans!”