An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

AMC service members support school health fair

  • Published
  • By T.G. Kistler
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Airmen from Scott AFB and nursing students from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College recently teamed up to provide healthy living information at a St. Louis charter school.

The Air Force health and fitness professionals gave presentations at the Lift for Life Academy, where many students may not have access to regular health care appointments or health education.

The Air Force service members partnered with the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College to organize the health fair and present the demonstrations.

According to Maj. Ryan McAdams, Air Mobility Command command test manager, who organized the Air Force participation, the purpose of the health fair was to promote general health and well-being among the students as well as to inspire them to study hard and maintain a fitness-minded lifestyle.

McAdams said that the Air Force stress management station, where students wrote their stressors on a flip chart and learned about resilience and coping mechanisms, as a favorite stop at the health fair.

McAdams also highlighted the nursing school's emphysema station where nurses had the students jog in place for 30 seconds then breath through a straw and jog for another 30 seconds. This gave the students an appreciation for the difficulty breathing that emphysema sufferers experience every day and highlighted the dangers of smoking.

Among the Air Force demonstrations, the most popular was Self Aid Buddy Care, according to McAdams.

"We had to split the CPR demonstration away from slings and splints because there were too many students crowding around the table," he said.

The SABC station gave students the opportunity to have their blood pressure checked and to listen to their own heartbeat.

"It was awesome to see the students' eyes light up when they put on the stethoscope and heard their heart for the first time," McAdams said. "Giving the students some basic health information was a fulfilling experience and one we hope to duplicate in the future at other schools."