Don’t let groups just show up
For best results, give step-by-step guidance
While community organizations help bring variety to a health fair, they must be given guidance to make their contribution beneficial. "We give them specifics. We don’t want them to just show up and put pamphlets on the table," explains Janet Hale, RN, program manager for the health information center at University of Missouri Healthcare in Columbia. For example, if the health fair is for children, organizations are asked to deliver their message with interactive games.
To get organizations involved, Hale sends out flyers eight weeks in advance of an event asking that they put the date on their calendar. A month later, an invitation to participate is mailed along with a reservation form. If the reservations are not returned in two weeks, Hale calls the organization to see if they plan to participate.
A week to 10 days before the event, Hale sends a confirmation letter with any details they need to know, such as where staff should park. "I think you have to keep in constant contact," says Hale. When the fair is over, thank-you notes are sent, and the staff who work the booths are given appreciation gifts, such as T-shirts.
It’s important to allow plenty of time for planning. "We allow at least two months for planning, and we try to have at least six meetings during that time. If you want a major sponsor or someone to entertain, you may have to plan a year in advance," says Hale. Planning doesn’t end with the event. Hale has volunteers conduct exit surveys to find out what participants liked, didn’t like, and what they would like to see next year. "Someone tallies that information, and at our post-meeting, we tear it apart to see how we could have done better."
Sources
For more information on health fairs, contact:
• Beth Crispin, MS, Health Educator, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, P.O. Box 5371-CM Box 209, Seattle, WA 98105-30371. Telephone: (206) 527-5724. E-mail: [email protected].
• Janet Hale, RN, Program Manager, Health Information Center, University of Missouri Healthcare, Columbia Mall, 2300 Bernadette Dr., Columbia, MO 65203. Telephone: (573) 882-4743. E-mail: [email protected].
• Peggy Hubert, RN, MSN, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Presbyterian Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania Health System, 51 N. 39th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104. (215) 662-9162. E-mail: [email protected].
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