Skyline College hosted its annual “Health Fair” earlier this week at the Fireside Dining Hall.

The “Health Fair” is an educational event designed to reach out and provide basic health information, as well as medical services to people in the community. The fair, located right here on campus, was dedicated to Skyline College students and faculty. Health fairs are a great way to find out what medical services local agencies provide.

Representatives from over 25 community agencies and healthcare organizations were on campus offering health information, disaster planning and more at the Skyline Health Center hosted event. Breathe California was there helping to inform students on the dangers of smoking cigarettes. Star Vista’s Crisis Intervention Center had their booth set up. The American Cancer Society had a marrow donor registry drive and The Red Cross had representatives on the scene as well. There was a booth where you could sign up for health insurance through “Covered California” and since they were giving out free flu shots, the San Mateo College Nursing department had a line wrapped around the dining room.

Not to be outdone, the Skyline Wellness program drew a hefty crowd offering free neck and shoulder messages.

“You don’t have to be a student or an employee of Skyline College to take advantage of our spa,” nine year advisory board member Angie Nandin said. “But students and faculty enjoy a nice discount on all of our services.”

Serving students in the Daly City and San Mateo communities who are under 23 years old and do not have health insurance is what the Daly City Youth Health Center is all about. These guys had a booth set up right in front.

“We offer primary healthcare counseling as well as reproductive health counseling,” Elaine Bautista, program manager of the youth center said. “We give out free condoms and offer free STD testing. Plus we also try to take a broader scope on healthcare.”

In addition, the Cosmetology department was there in full force as well. About 30-40 freshmen made up a huge segment of students learning to perform manicures and pedicures. They were offering free manicures and hand rubs that certainly had all of the ladies scrambling for a spot in line.

“This is our first time doing this at the health fair and it’s been extremely successful,” Business-cosmetology instructor, Tammy Calderon said. “We’ve had students waiting in line since this morning to get a 10 minute manicure and or a hand and arm massage.”

According to Calderon this was the first time the freshmen in the cosmetology department have had a chance to service clients.

“I think it’s really been a great experience for the students. They’re learning about customer service, as well as working on people that they have never worked on before,” Calderon said. “I’m pretty excited and really grateful to be a part of this.”