BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Southern University Law Center held its first Health and Harmony Wellness Fair on Saturday at Southern University's FG Clark Activity Center.
Students, staff and residents gathered in north Baton Rouge to learn about the importance of taking care of their physical and mental health.
“This aligns with our mission to ensure people have access to the information and education they need to live better lives,” said Vice President for Strategic Partnerships at Southern University Law Center. Mara Dickerson said.
Many organizations across the city are answering the call to provide more resources to people in the north Baton Rouge area and combat health disparities.
Debra Stampley works with Southeast Community Health System in Baton Rouge and said the organization specifically aims to help people in these communities.
“We are based in rural areas and help people in underserved areas. We have transportation so they can't provide their own transportation. ” Stampley said. “We can provide transportation for people in rural areas.”
The Law Center received a grant from the Louisiana Department of Health to host the event. Many businesses participated, including CVS, Aetna Better Health, and Baton Rouge General, offering free COVID-19 vaccines and health screenings.
District 5 City Councilman Darryl Hurst said mental health is also an important part of health that needs to be taken care of, and it's a big step forward for schools to be able to support it.
“By allowing us to come here and provide mental health resources through the university, we can make them aware of what the university offers to the community. I feel like I can fight them here on the cliff,” Hurst said.
The Law Center hopes to continue hosting events like this for the north Baton Rouge community and continue to be a part of those who want to continue closing health disparities in the region.
“The mission of Southern University, including the Southern University Law Center, is to be a true partner in the community,” Dickerson said.
