The seventh annual Well-a-palooza will be held on Wednesday, April 5 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Pedestrian Mall and the Amphitheater.
Well-a-palooza, which is sometimes called the Carnival of Health, gives students the opportunity to learn about health issues and healthy lifestyles. “We like to offer students the opportunity to gather this information,” said Ashley Hansen, a staff member of the ETSU Counseling Center.
There are a record number of vendors coming to this year’s Well-a-palooza.
There will be 28 organizations from on-campus groups as well as from businesses within the community. “We are grateful for any and all of the vendors that come,” Hansen said.
Well-a-palooza is being held in conjunction with National Public Health Week, National Alcohol Screening Day and for the first time, Minority Health Month.
“This year’s event will also feature vendors displaying health information that targets African-Americans and illnesses affecting them as a community,” said Sunday Feathers, a staff member of the Counseling Center. Information on diseases such as sickle cell anemia, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and the HIV/AIDS virus will be available from the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
“This is information we all need to be aware of,” Hansen said.
Other booths will give students the opportunity to have free health screenings. The available tests will be alcohol screenings, respiratory screenings and gonorrhea and chlamydia tests. None of the screenings require that any blood to be drawn. “All the screenings are confidential so students don’t need to worry about that,’ Hansen said.
Well-a-palooza will also have inflatable, Olympic-type games, such as the joust and the Velcro wall. Door prizes will be given to the winners of the games.
Another fun possibility is the chance to win a free T-shirt. Visitors to Well-a-palooza will be given a passport to be stamped at each booth. Once participants have visited two health screenings and four educational booths, the passports can be redeemed for the free shirt.
The ETSU Counseling Center, College of Public and Allied Health, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Student Health Clinic and ARAMARK are sponsoring this event. Local business donated the items that will be given away as door prizes for the winners of the games.
There are alternate plans in case bad weather decides to visit the Well-a-palooza. If it is necessary the event will be moved to the covered patios that are located outside of the Cave. “We will have this,” Hansen said. “I’m just glad to work to reach the health needs of the students.