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UCSF Schools Work Together for Health Fair Success By Hugo Torres The rain poured down in the Fruitvale area of Oakland on November 1st, but that didn’t prevent the first annual Farmacia Remedios Interprofessional Health Fair from being a resounding success. The fair, coordinated by the Latino Association of Pharmacy Students, Latino Medical Student Association, and the Hispanic Student Dental Association, brought students from UCSF’s Schools of Pharmacy, Medicine and Dentistry to this underserved community to raise awareness of health issues that affect the Latino population. The pharmacy students kept busy by administering screenings for glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol through the National Community Pharmacists Association, American Pharmaceutical Association Project Diabetes, and Project Hypertension/Cholesterol. The dental students gave patients useful information about proper oral health maintenance using a model tooth as an example, while the medical students made sure to offer patients health education and counseling about their screening results. They also provided information about the Street Level Health Project, a non-profit free clinic that serves the uninsured population in Oakland. This latter was especially important because most of the clients that participated in the health fair were uninsured. Overall, 80 mostly Latino patients attended the health fair and received the screenings and education in Spanish. This success can be attributed in part to its location: Farmacia Remedios, on International Ave in the heart of Fruitvale, receives a lot of foot traffic that was attracted to the fair by its colorful signage and hired DJ playing top Latino music favorites. Also contributing was the inter-professional nature of the fair, which allowed the organizers to provide comprehensive services that patients really needed. The Latino groups who planned the fair hope to build on its successes by returning to Farmacia Remedios quarterly and establishing a presence in Oakland. Through further coordination and community support, this event will expand and provide even better services in the future, while preparing health professions students from different fields for careers treating the underserved. Hugo Torres is a second-year medical student.
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