Week 1- 1/16-1/19

Daily Descriptions:

Tuesday 1/16

• Today I created table cards for each of the vendors for the Total Health Fair on Friday. The vendors included a number of healthcare professionals, non-profits, and other community health organizations. Each vendor is set to educate participants on various health topics, including pain management, chronic disease management, blood pressure, stress management, HDL, fitness, etc.

• I developed an infographic on the benefits of Essential Oils, which will be handed out to all participants at the Total Health Fair with their own essential roller as a door prize giveaway. I spent two hours researching the overall benefits, as well as the specific benefits of eucalyptus, peppermint, orange, clove, vanilla, chamomile, grapefruit, and lavender. It took me roughly two hours to create the infographic and make the necessary changes after receiving feedback. In the infographic, I provided a paragraph of information on what essential oils are and their historical uses, a paragraph of general advantages, and the significance of each essential roller type. I also made sure to explain how the roller may be used, whether it be applied topically or inhaled. This project genuinely increased my knowledge surrounding the uses, perks, and history of essential oils and I enjoyed disseminating this useful information in a creative manner.

Wednesday 1/17

• Today, I met with Kendra to go over the logistics for the Total Health Fair on Friday. We went over the various vendors participating and what each of their health topics they will be educating employees and retirees on. We discussed the schedule of events for both set up on Thursday and for the actual event on Friday. I organized table cards, parking vouchers, and internet access cards for each participating vendor to ensure efficiency on the day of the event. I was in contact with the Classic City events coordinator to pick up the vouchers for the vendors and get a lay of the land. I was tasked to recruit volunteers to help set up for the event on Thursday and work the event on Friday. I contacted Heather McEachern to send out a listserv email as well as the Philanthropy chair of my sorority to recruit volunteers. I made an excel file to stay organized for managing volunteers and keeping track of how we will sign off on their volunteer hours. This process showed me the importance of having strong community relations to have and rely on when engaging in this type of work.

Thursday 1/18

• Today I helped set up materials for the Health Fair tomorrow. We unloaded all the resources and placed them in their designated areas. Since the fair is intended for hundreds of participants, the space was massive and took some time to get everything situated. I was tasked with recruiting volunteers, so today I organized time slots for each volunteer to come help for today as well as tomorrow. I also got in touch with each volunteer to explain what the health fair is and what goals we are wanting to accomplish with it. I was in contact with some Classic Center employees to help ensure that the event would run smoothly. I also helped with decorations and the placement of various health education materials around the event.

Friday 1/19

• Today, I got to the Classic Center at 6:40 to ensure that check in for vendors at 7 am ran smoothly. It was fascinating to meet and engage with various stakeholders and health professionals around the county. We had over 45 vendors, including departments from St. Mary’s and Piedmont, Medlink, UGA Dietetic Intern Program, YWCO, the University Blood Center, etc. Throughout the day, I managed the student volunteers and worked with events coordinators to make sure the event was as efficient as possible. My main role was directing participants to the “game coaching station” where they were encouraged to make 3 SMART goals for the year. If participants meet these goals, then they are awarded health credits to lower their overall health insurance costs per quarter. I also spoke with participants about their various health needs, as that depicted which vendors they would be more interested in.

Summary Report:

Overall, this week was related to all things Total Health Fair. I was sent a document outlining the whole process of implementing the fair, which began over 7 months ago, so my role was ensuring that the setting up of the event and the actual event ran as smoothly as possible. It was beneficial and eye-opening to see just how intense the planning process is for these types of health events. Due to a wide range of participants, we had several types of health education organizations there to cover numerous health conditions. I was able to converse with employees ranging from Solid and Waste Department, all the way up to the ACCUG State Court, which I found quite interesting. Working with different populations from each department coincided with different populations experiencing various health conditions. One of my favorite moments of the week was when I got to see participants interested in and reading my infographic on essential oils. I was proud of my work and it was encouraging to see individuals interested in my work. Working under Kendra has been amazing thus far and it has been rewarding to see the influential role she plays in ACCUG employees' lives. They truly love her and the work she engages in as everyone I met there sang her praises. Seeing the success of the health fair at the beginning of my internship has made me even more excited to work under and learn from Kendra. I had an amazing time working the 2024 ACCUG Total Health Fair and learned a great deal surrounding the coordination and implementation of health events for hundreds of individuals.

Responsibilities & Competencies:

• 1.2.1- Identify primary data, secondary data, and evidence-informed resources.

• I met this competency by researching health information on essential oils. 

• 1.4.2- Prioritize health education and promotion needs.

• I met this competency by creating an infographic on essential oils for ACCUG employees and retirees. 

• 2.4.2- Develop materials needed for implementation.

• I met this competency by helping organize and create materials, including table tents, parking vouchers, Wi-Fi activation codes, etc. for each corresponding vendor. 

• 3.1.1- Secure implementation resources.

• I met this competency by disseminating the resources that vendors needed to effectively educate participants on their specific health topic. 

• 3.1.2- Arrange for implementation services.

• I met this competency by engaging in the logistics of how the Health Fair was intended to operate. We planned the coordination and implementation of health education materials, decorations, and nutritional foods for the fair. 

• 3.2.1- Create an environment conducive to learning.

• I met this competency by guiding participants where to go and encouraging them to go to certain vendors based on their health needs. I also made sure to be a friendly and helpful face so that participants felt more comfortable, and thus more willing to learn. 

• 3.2.4- Deliver health education and promotion as designed.

• I met this competency by engaging in conversation with various health professionals, stakeholders, and participants. 

• 3.1.5- Train staff and volunteers to ensure fidelity.

• I met this competency by managing volunteers and explaining to them the various roles they would engage in while volunteering. I made sure to explain to them the overall goals and intentions of the fair. 

• 2.2.4- Develop specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART) objectives.

• I met this goal by encouraging participants to make 3 SMART goals to create throughout the year. I explained what SMART objectives were to participants and helped them create some goals. 

Reflection:

I think my foremost learning outcome this week would have to be the importance of meeting populations where they are at in order to adequately promote their health. Kendra has developed meaningful relationships with many ACCUG employees, and knows exactly how to engage with them to meet them where they are at. She thinks outside of the box and is very strategic with her planning, which I have already learned a great deal from. Overall, I think this notion demonstrates the successfulness of Area 1: Assessment of Needs and Capacity because in order to effectively educate participants on various health topics, one must understand the factors, determinants, available resources, policies, data, etc. that play into the health status of many individuals. 

I believe the main success of the week was the culmination of the health fair, namely the effectiveness of participants creating their 3 SMART goals for the year. Participants typically spent 15-20 minutes developing these goals, which demonstrated their serious intent to improve their health. These goals are supposed to be met every quarter and health credits are awarded as a result to lower insurance costs. I believe this is a highly valuable incentive for employees to engage in healthy behaviors. Participants were not forced to create SMART goals, however I believe that the optional aspect of it encouraged more individuals to partake in it. 

I did not encounter significant challenges this week, however if I were to include any they would be related to insufficient knowledge of participants health literacy, so I was unsure of how much information to include and what level to write particular information at. However, I trust that this minimal issue will be resolved as time endures and I get to know the employees and retirees more.