Self-care and the health and well-being of others around us can’t be overstated enough. On Thursday, April 3, CSI Health and Wellness Services promoted good mental and physical health at their annual Wellness Fair.
As college students, we are often reminded to keep tabs on our mental health, maybe even a little more than our physical health, but by no means is one more important than the other. In many sections of the 1C Rotunda there were tables that provided resources on campus or on Staten Island for students or others close to them to access.
One table placed toward the middle of the Rotunda was the Staten Island Behavioral Coalition, Tackling Youth Substance Abuse (TYSA). The coalition focuses on preventing and reducing drug misuse as well as bringing awareness to mental illness and behavioral health issues. Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator Joshua Hernandez gave some more insight on what TYSA is about as well as a resource guide that was handed out with locations and phone numbers for resource centers across Staten Island.
“Our main focus is to help people get connected to resources they may not know exist, particularly for substance abuse and mental health,” said Hernandez. “I like to tell people all it takes is a phone call.”
In regard to our physical and mental health, there were a few tables that represented the importance of healthy eating habits, which can often be overlooked. It’s not uncommon for people to crave their favorite food or drink, or grab a late-night snack, but one table emphasized the shocking amounts of sugar in some of our favorite items we consume daily.
“We have here the way you can read a nutrition label to see what sugars are used and to understand the difference between natural sugars and added sugars. Also, so you can see other additives like glucose and syrups. And we have a display of drinks where we are having people guess how many teaspoons or grams are in each item,” said China, a Nursing student at CSI.
Some students who were at the Wellness Fair gained some important information at other stations like Mary, who mentioned the CPR table as a good learning experience.
“One of my favorites would have to be the CPR table, having the physical model there to practice compressions as well as looking at the defibrillators and seeing how it works,” she said.
Another student, Isioma, also explained the benefits of coming to the Wellness Fair:
“It’s about keeping yourself and other people healthy like your friends. If you end up seeing something happening to them, like if they’re choking or if they’re having an overdose, you know how to treat it and how to take care of it.”
As students made their rounds, there were so many takeaways that could be made, whether through spin-the-wheel prizes that were at a few stations or through valuable information about resources for yourself or others that can help. Through all the different aspects of our health that we have to worry about, it’s important to remember we can’t be perfect or expect others to be, but we can do our best to be aware and learn about keeping ourselves and each other healthy.
By Kyle Cicero
