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SRPs succeed with health fair
March 31, 2005 Cindy Kalweit, a teacher aide/notetaker at Elmira's Southside High, watches phlebotomist Gwen Daley draw blood for a cholesterol screening. In early March, Ann Donovan got her blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar tested and picked up a kit to be screened for colorectal cancer. All for free, thanks to her union, the Elmira Instructional Support Educational Association. The union, led by Jeanne Schlecht, sponsored a health fair with help from the Healthy Women Partnership and Chemung County 's Colorectal and Prostate Health Initiative. A teacher aide in a second-grade classroom in the Southern Tier city school district, Donovan is eager to get the results. Like most of her part-time colleagues in the union, she does not have health insurance through her job. "I do have insurance through my husband, but his plan doesn't carry well visits or any of these kinds of screenings," Donovan said. "I think it was fantastic, and I'm so thankful the union worked to put it on, especially for those of us with no health care benefits." Even full-time members with health insurance found the fair helpful. A single mother with two kids, Betsy Bowman doesn't have time for as much preventive medicine as she would like. "Unless I'm sick or the kids are sick, I just don't pay attention," said the 17-year veteran, now a secretary at a middle school. She took the opportunity to talk with a nutritionist and have her blood pressure and body fat ratio taken. "All of it was really interesting and so helpful," said Bowman. Schlecht said that almost 70 percent of the 400 members in the union receive no health insurance and no vacation pay as they work fewer than 25 hours a week. About 150 people attended the fair, held from 8 to 10 a.m. on a professional development day. Attendance was limited due to scheduling conflicts. Schlecht said that based on the response, she hopes to expand the fair next year to students and retirees. Pat D'Aloisio, a teacher aide in the district for 23 years, is all for that idea. "Especially since there are a lot of people who aren't covered by a health plan, it is an excellent way for people to get information and get some things tested," D'Aloisio said. For anyone considering offering a health fair, Schlecht recommends a look into available community resources. "Check if any groups have outreach health educators, like Kathy Johnson of Chemung County ," said Schlecht. "We would not have had nearly as extensive a fair without her help." Two weeks after the health fair, Donovan said she is still benefitting. "In our jobs, we provide the gamut of services kids need in school," Donovan said. "We are there strictly for them. So many of us, that's our nature, to provide for everybody else and who looks out for us? "I think this event really showed how the union is there for us." — Betsy Sandberg |
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