Students learn to prioritize mental and physical health at annual Health Fair

Morgan Ealy photo

AnnaBrooke Rainey prioritizes her health with the School of Nursing.

Troy University held its annual Health Fair in the Troy Campus Recreation Center last Wednesday, where vendors gathered and set up tables to inform students about their physical, mental, nutritional and sexual health.

Ellie Meredeth, a worker at Spectra Care Health Systems in Dothan, Alabama, had a table set up at the fair to bring awareness to students about the dangers of underage and binge drinking.

“A lot of people brush it off or make it seem like it’s not as big a deal as it is,” Meredeth said. “It’s important to take those things seriously, so I hope they learn to be smart, make safe decisions and keep themselves and other people safe.”

Spectra Care is currently running a campaign entitled, “Alcohol, don’t underestimate it.”

They hope students understand the impact alcohol can have on their mental health.

“Not taking care of your mental health is very similar to not taking care of your physical health,” Meredeth said. “If you’re constantly ignoring your needs and your mental health, a lot of times it will deteriorate.

“It’s going to decline and suffer if you’re not giving yourself time to practice self-care or do things you enjoy.”

Grace Wagstaff, student services Title IX coordinator at Troy University, initiated bringing the Timely Care app to Troy University to be a support system for students who need it.

“We know that mental health does not schedule appointments,” Wagstaff said. “A crisis does not ask you if now is a good time.”

Student services is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays for counseling appointments if students need someone to turn to. However, Wagstaff wanted to go a step further, providing students with 24/7 counseling availability.

“We needed something that could be an addition in support of the Student Counseling Center,” Wagstaff said. “We knew our students needed that after hours support that they could get on the weekends or at night.”

The app is free to all students, is fully confidential, available 24/7 and offers licensed counselors for students to talk to.

Makenna Calbert, a junior nutrition major from Woodstock, Georgia, and current president of Troy’s Nutrition Club, was a vendor at the health fair.

“What we eat matters,” Calbert said. “I try to describe our body as like a car and a machine.

“You want to feed it the best fuel and gasoline so you go your furthest, fastest and longest.”

Wagstaff shared the significance of treating our mental health the same as we would our physical or nutritional health.

“Just like you go to the dentist for your oral health or go to the doctor for your physical health, talk to professionals about your mental health,” Wagstaff said. “We do it in every area but our mental health.

“When we ignore things and don’t care for ourselves, they don’t go away. They will only fester and get worse. That doesn't have to be the full story. You can change the narrative there if you just invest in it.”