Milligan’s new campus nurse, Karen Maughon, organized this year’s Wellness Fair, which took place Wednesday, March 3, in Sutton Lobby from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Maughon took the position in October, and her predecessor briefed her on how to prepare for the event.
Maughon says the main purpose of the event is to provide a way “to communicate and educate (students) on current issues relevant to wellness.”
Wellness includes a number of different areas that relate to health and well being. The range of wellness topics that were covered throughout the Wellness Fair included stress management, better fast food choices, blood pressure, vision, communicable diseases, substance abuse, exercise, weight management, women’s services, texting and driving, drinking and driving, and counseling services, all of which are very important from Maughon’s point of view.
The fair consisted of a number of different stations, and each focused on one of these specific areas of wellness. Many of the stations were run by senior Milligan nursing students and a few others were run by outside contributors, like Lieutenant Garrison from the Highway Patrol, Lieutenant Carlock from the Carter County Sheriff’s Department and Beth Koscak from Agape Women’s Services. Bright Eyes Family Eye Care also offered free vision screenings.
In addition to being informative, each station had an interactive component for the observers who stopped by; a couple even included free giveaways. The activities varied from taking mini tests, screenings for vision and blood pressure, goggles simulating drunkenness and, Maughon’s favorite, using backlight technology to demonstrate the importance of hand washing when it comes to communicable diseases.
Overall, Maughon was excited and felt the Wellness Fair was a success.
