Southwest Messenger - December 16th, 2018

PAGE 6 - SOUTHWEST MESSENGER - December 16, 2018
In Education
www.columbusmessenger.com
Wellness
on Wheels
By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
Some bad habits can start to form early
in life.
“The behavior and choices that we make
as adults can often be traced back to what
we saw or experienced in childhood,” said
Dr. Bernadette Melnyk, the chief wellness
officer and the dean of the college of nursing
at the Ohio State University. “Our families
have such an impact on our lives and
what we do.”
But not all of the bad habits that we
may learn in childhood, she added, have to
stay with us.
“We have the power to change how we
live our lives,” she said. “It doesn’t matter
how old we are when we start that change.
What matters is that we are taking the
power to make a change.”
Having worked in the health care field
for more than three decades, Melnyk
knows the impact education can have on
an individual’s life.
“The more knowledge we have, the better
choices we make,” she said.
It was that knowledge, she says, that
prompted her to start a travelling health
and wellness fair.
Four years ago, Melnyk began thinking
of ways that health care professionals at
the university could reach communities
throughout the state that may not have
access, affordable or otherwise, to health
screenings, examinations and resources.
Upon brainstorming, she said, the idea
came to her - a health tour that is comprised
of a variety of health care fields at
the university.
“As a land grant school, I believe it is
our responsibility to make a positive
impact in communities throughout the
state, not just in our neighboring area,”
she said. “We have to pay it forward.”
Melnyk began reaching out to the deans
of a numbers of colleges at the university
to see if their students would be willing to
participate in this tour as part of their clinical
experience.
Gage Keaton, a senior at the college of
nursing, said participating in this tour was
one of the things he looked forward to.
“It gives us real world experience where
we are able to engage with the community
that we will be serving,” he said.
When the tour, which is called Wellness
on Wheels, hit the road in 2014, they primarily
parked in more rural communities
but Melnyk thought it was important to
branch out this year.
“I wanted the focus to be on students,”
she said. “I think it is vital that they learn
Messenger photo by Dedra Cordle
Gage Keaton, a senior at Ohio State’s College of Nursing, takes the blood pressure of Grove City High School freshman Joseph
Borror. Keaton, along with 30 other undergraduate and postgraduate students from various health care fields at the university, came
to the high school on Nov. 30 as part of a health and wellness tour that provides a number of free examinations and assessments.
about healthy lifestyle choices and healthy
coping skills during this phase in their
lives.
“So many young adults, I have seen,
make poor choices and have no idea how to
cope with stress or know how to address
their mental health issues,” she said.
“Many children are struggling with mental
health issues but there is still such a stigma
around it.”
She said she knew right away that mental
health professionals must be available
at all of their stops, particularly at the
schools.
This year, Wellness on Wheels had visited
schools in Chillicothe and Waverly and
have recently made their first stop in the
Columbus area.
On Nov. 30, undergraduate and postgraduate
students set up stations throughout
the library at Grove City High School
and filled the tables with medical equipment,
assessment tests, fact sheets and
brochures for additional information and
resources.
School nurse Jodi Smelko-Schneider
said she was amazed when she saw all of
the resources that were available for the
students taking a health class this semester.
“When they contacted me about this
program a few months ago,” she said, “I
thought it was a great idea but I couldn’t
exactly picture it in my mind. I thought it
would just be a few tables set out with
papers and there would be limited handson
interactions but I am just blown away
by what this program is offering.
“Unfortunately, we as a school and district
are limited in what screenings we can
offer to our students, but I know with this
tour being here some students will have
the opportunity to be screened for health
issues they would not have until they were
older, if at all.”
Health teacher Linda Conti said she too
was impressed by the tour.
“When Jodi told me about this a month
ago, I wasn’t sure the students would be
engaged or willing to participate,” she said.
“But as you look around you see our kids
getting examinations, talking with the university
students and showing a greater
interest in their health.”
She also said it was wonderful to see
screenings about topics they have touched
upon in class, but would have loved to have
seen a table from the university’s division
of dermatology.
“We are going through a unit on skin
and I wished they would have had one of
those (skin imaging devices),” she said. “It
has actually inspired me to look at grant
opportunities that may be out there.”
The university students stayed at the
high school all day, offering dental examinations,
mental health screenings, biometrics,
food nutrition tips and strength and
flexibility assessments.
But not all news was good news at the
fair. Several students learned they had
cavities — Dr. Sid Kannan stressed the
importance of proper hygiene — and some
learned they were not as tall as they were
led to believe.
“I always thought I was 5’9” but they
told me I was 5’8”,” said senior Josh Castle
with a sigh. “I was disappointed when I
heard that but all together I think this program
is pretty cool. It’s exciting to learn
about your body, your health and what you
can do to improve your life.”
Currently, there are no plans for the
Wellness on Wheels tour to become a yearly
fixture at the school or in the district,
but Principal Bryan O’Shea said he would
love to have them come back.
“It’s a wonderful program that is a true
benefit to our students,” he said. “I wish
they all would have been able to experience
it.”
If schools wish to inquire about hosting
Wellness on Wheels, Dr. Bernadette
Melnyk said staff or administrators can
email her at Melnyk15@osu.edu.