March 21, 2018

VCU hosts 11th annual Wellness Block Party on March 24

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By Anne Dreyfuss
C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research

A volunteer health sciences student checks the blood pressure of a participant during the MCV Campus Student Government Association's eighth annual VCU Wellness Block Party in 2015.
A volunteer health sciences student checks the blood pressure of a participant during the MCV Campus Student Government Association's eighth annual VCU Wellness Block Party in 2015.

Virginia Commonwealth University students will provide free health screenings, wellness education and follow-up resources to the Richmond community at the VCU Wellness Block Party on March 24.

The event will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, 1000 Mosby St. The event is open to the public and all health services and screenings will be free of charge.

At the family-friendly event, students will provide a variety of general health screenings including glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure checks. Vision services and STI/HIV screenings also will be offered, and physicians and clinical psychologists will be available for consults. Representatives of several VCU health sciences schools, as well as community health organizations, are providing services.

“This year we hope to address a wide array of issues that contribute to a community’s health and well-being, including preventative care, disease education, mental health care, nutrition, financial literacy and more,” said Nisha Gnawali, chair of the VCU Wellness Block Party. Gnawali is a second-year graduate student in VCU’s Department of Health Administration.

The event will include wellness and healthy lifestyle resources from more than 80organizations, including legal and employment assistance services and affordable housing resources. Hunger-relief organizations, including FeedMore and Shalom Farms, will distribute produce to families attending the event.