Women's Health Fair

On Sunday, March 23, the Waukegan Public Library will
present a Women’s Health Fair featuring informational booths and free health
screenings on a variety of health topics. The Fair is sponsored by Rosalind
Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS), the Franklin Fellowship
Program, and the Library and offers RFUMS medical students hands-on experience
in patient-centered care. The Fair will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.



Information on topics from physical fitness to breast cancer will be available
from RFUMS student groups, Lake County community organizations, and the
library’s own Affordable Care Act navigators and literacy staff. Medical
students will offer free blood pressure checks, cholesterol and blood sugar
analysis, osteoporosis screenings, breast cancer exams, vision checks and more.
Health information will be available on depression and anxiety, heart attacks,
nutrition, domestic abuse, and other pertinent women’s issues. ACA information
will be available for those who still need to sign up for insurance by the
March 31 deadline.

"This Franklin Fellowship project was created because I
saw two needs,” said Natalie Dale, RFUMS medical student and creator of the
Women’s Health Fair. “First, the need in the community for increased
understanding and awareness of women's health issues and local resources.
Second, the need of RFUMS students to connect in an interprofessional way, both
within the school and with the community at large. The Women's Health Fair
provides an avenue for students to learn about women's health in this
interdisciplinary setting, while simultaneously increasing access to health
care for women in need in Waukegan. For me, this fair is the ultimate
win-win situation."

Dale decided to create the fair after realizing that women’s
health was an area that merited greater attention. With that in mind, she
founded the Women’s Health Interest Group (WHIG), along with three other
medical students.  The goal of WHIG is to
promote an understanding of women’s health, through service as well as
awareness events, so that every health care professional knows how to promote
women’s health in their own profession or specialty. “This is a cause which I
hold very dear, and will continue to work on throughout my career,” said Dale.