Healthy living

Photo by Christopher Huang.

Hundreds of students, faculty and staff received flu shots, donated blood and gained a wealth of health knowledge as part of the fifth-annual Bouvé College of Health Sciences Health Fair and Flu Clinic on Wednesday.

Dozens of volunteers participated in the all-day event, which was held in the Curry Student Center. Nursing majors Kristen Silva and Liana Rizzo were among those helping to administer nearly 850 flu shots in the ballroom to members of the Northeastern community who received the vaccination — including Terry Fulmer, the new dean of Bouvé.

“This is public health,” said Rizzo, a senior. “We’re helping people get vaccinated so they can avoid getting the flu this season.”

A sea of informational posters in the Curry Student Center quad highlighted a range of health problems, including asthma, smoking, diabetes, alcohol use, anxiety disorder, weight gain and sexually transmitted diseases.

The posters offered guidance on how students can address the problems and included information about joining health-related student groups and activities.

Senior pharmacy major Carol Poskay, who has volunteered at the health clinic for the last five years, doled out information on stress and sleep deprivation — two health issues that commonly affect college students.

The event, she said, is a good way to connect with classmates and impart critical knowledge about important health issues.

“These issues apply to students of all majors,” Poskay said of stress and sleep deprivation. “We’re helping them improve their health and their lives.”