News Release

News and Public Information Office
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Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-7592
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newsinfo@muohio.edu

Miami's new mobile health unit ready to roll

02/22/2010

Miami University's new mobile health unit.
Miami University’s Mobile Health Initiative, a national demonstration project to educate students on health issues, will launch this week starting 8-11 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, in front of Miami Co-op on High Street in Uptown.

The mobile unit also will be in operation from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, on Oak Street by Goggin Ice Arena. And, 8 p.m. to midnight Friday, Feb. 26, and 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Feb. 27 in front of Miami Co-op in Uptown. Peer health educators will staff the unit and answer questions about smoking, diabetes, stress, sexuality, alcohol and other drugs, and any other health issues of concern.

As part of the launch, people are asked to bring non-perishable donations for the Oxford Food Pantry. The most requested items include cereal, canned tuna, boxed meals, spaghetti, pasta sauce and personal care items such as toothpaste, shampoo and toilet paper.

The mobile unit is a student-run, student-focused project designed to help college students be more aware of their own health, and health issues in general. Many displays in the unit will be interactive, allowing students to have a hands-on educational experience. All 16 of the peer educators have certification training through the BACCHUS Network (a worldwide university- and community-based network focusing on comprehensive health and safety initiatives), the American Lung Association, the Ohio Department of Health and have completed a capstone class at Miami in health and wellness.

The mobile unit is a two-year initiative funded in part by The Ford Foundation and through partnership with Armor Mobile Systems to improve student health on college campuses. Miami is the pilot campus for the project and could be the blueprint for student health promotion at colleges and universities around the country.

For more information, contact Reginald Fennell at 513-529-3226 or fennelr@muohio.edu.

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