Students from IUN offer health information to Gary residents

During her morning walk at a former downtown Gary high school, Carolynn Fields got the chance to check her blood pressure and get some nutritional information.

It was her second time walking the track at Horace Mann, with walking a new activity she and her husband are sharing in hopes of improving their health.

Indiana University Northwest’s nursing students stood by to give her a free health screening.

People “every three months should do it,” said Fields, of Gary, “because people don’t know if they have high blood pressure or if they are diabetic.”

IUN’s Healthy Path Ini- tiative, now in its seventh year, had three pop-up screening days this semester. Senior nursing majors offer free blood pressure, body mass screenings and information on nutrition for Gary residents. Students seek out walkers to ask what basic screenings they might want.

Students “more importantly listen to them and what their concerns might be and provide a little bit of advice and resources,” said Juan Aceves, 24, a nursing major.

Previously, students set up screenings at the South Gleason Park Golf Course, across from campus. Going to Horace Mann, 525 Garfield St., was an effort to better reach Gary residents, said student Sara Shimala, 22.

“I feel like, with nursing, we try to be so hospitalfocused,” she said. “The big picture is that we need to keep people out of the hospital.”

IUN also has scheduled a health fair on Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the John W. Anderson Library Conference Center. There will be free screenings, such as for b l o o d p re s s u re, b o n e density and HIV testing. Lab tests will be offered from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and include a wellness panel, diabetes, thyroid, prostate, hepatitis C and vitamin D.

The wellness panel lab testing will cost $30. Fasting is required — water or coffee only — for 12 hours prior. Other lab costs vary by test and are due on-site.