Students who take the medical Spanish course from Vanderbilt’s Lori Catanzaro, senior lecturer in Spanish and Portuguese, got a chance for some hands-on experience on Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Siloam Health Clinic’s semi-annual health fair at the Claremont Apartment complex

These students, which are often pre-med, nursing, or medical, health and society majors, volunteer by creating posters, giving away handouts and answering the questions that deal with important health issues facing the Hispanic community. Topics at this year’s fair included prenatal care, tuberculosis, HPV, AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, mental health, heart health, dental care, cancer prevention, stress and children’s vaccinations.

This event, which is an ongoing effort to reach out to the Latino population in Nashville, involves the participation of local doctors, nurses, interpreters and student volunteers. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness and give Hispanic members of the community the opportunity and information needed to receive basic health care at an affordable price. Funding for the event comes from local churches, the Venture Fund of the Vanderbilt University College of Arts and Sciences, private donations and Siloam. These kinds of community outreach days have been sponsored by Siloam since 2005, but in the last year members of the Vanderbilt community have begun to participate as well.

Alexandra Barker, a Vanderbilt sophomore majoring in MHS volunteered for the first time this year, said of the fair, “It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s important to know this kind of information; it’s vital.”

One of the fair participants with whom Alexandra had been talking with was Beatriz Ordaz, who said she thought the fair was a “great idea” and offered “valuable information” that she felt would be “very important” for her life. In her opinion, the best aspect of the fair was the ability to ask anyone a question because almost all volunteers spoke Spanish. Ordaz and her friend both indicated that they would tell others about the fair and planned on returning in the future. “If they come again, I’ll be there” she said.

Contact: Nicolette Wilhide, (615)322-NEWS
Nicolette.m.wilhide@vanderbilt.edu