The annual Health Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Amanda Harvey, interim associate director with Health and Counseling Services, said the Health Bash will include the health fair and the flu shot clinic, which is free for faculty, staff, retirees and students.

Harvey said, one of the key outcomes for the health fair is for students to learn more about the resources offered at Eastern.

“It’s disheartening when (students) have no idea about some type of service we have,” she said. “I think the health fair is an opportunity for students to really learn about what kind of services we have.”

Graduate student Ashton Beaver, a health promotion coordinator in the Health Education Resource Center, said the health fair brings awareness about resources available to students in the Charleston-Mattoon area.

“We invite exhibitors to come in and present on any general health-related topic,” she said.

Beaver said, there will be a variety of health-related topics available at the event, ranging from domestic violence awareness to dental information.

Graduate student Gage Dailey, a health promotion coordinator in the Health Education Resource Center said, while there will be many presentations from exhibitors, there will also be plenty of presentations from on-campus resources, especially from the Health Education Resource Center.

He said, the Health Education Resource Center alone will be providing information on sexual health, responsible alcohol use, stress and sleep, healthy communication, financial health and nutrition.

“If it has to do with health,” Dailey said, “there will be someone there speaking about it.”

Harvey said, the flu shot clinic will be available in the University Ballroom for students and the Bridge Lounge for faculty, staff and retirees.

“We really want students and employees to be vaccinated for the flu,” she said. “Being vaccinated and being ready (for the flu season) is really important.”

Dailey said, the main purpose for the health fair is for the free flu vaccinations.

“A lot of people don’t have the resources to get a flu shot, or they don’t realize where they should go to get one,” Dailey said. “The entire on-campus community can come get a free flu shot and then enter to win all the raffle prizes we have.”

Beaver said, students can enter the raffle to win gift cards to Arby’s, Monical’s, Subway, Starbucks and Walmart, as well as other prizes, by signing up at the registration table outside the Grand Ballroom.

“Enter the raffle, and then you can go into the health fair and look around,” she said. “Come see everything we have. There is a lot of stuff to learn.”

Hannah Shillo can be reached at 581-2812 or hlshillo@eiu.edu.