“There is no word for stress in Cambodian.” Saturday, October 16, 2021, was the 8th Annual AUHS Health Fair. Among the services provided were health screenings, vaccinations (Covid and flu), eye exams, and dental hygiene education. Some 400 low-income families and senior citizens representing the diverse community of Signal Hill and Long Beach received free groceries including chicken, canned vegetables and rice. Over 100 children received new and used books and free pumpkins which they could decorate at the arts and crafts booth. There were also groups providing mental health services including the United Cambodian Community center. It was there that I learned that there is no word for stress in their language, but its effects were evident in the health issues the Cambodian community face.
It is the mission of AUHS to make a positive impact on the stressed and hurting people around us, especially underserved minorities such as the Cambodian community of Long Beach. I could see from the warm smiles and positive atmosphere of the fair on Saturday that the university was indeed meeting the needs of the community around it. AUHS also does research in the area of stress; the dean of our medical school, Dr. Sandor Szabo has published on stress and was a student of the noted stress researcher, Hans Selye.
As a Christian university we ultimately look to Christ as the answer to stress and all the needs of those around us: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It is His Spirit and His example that empowers us to serve.
With the support of:
• Superior Grocers who sponsored the pumpkin patch and delivered wholesale groceries to our event;
• Walgreens who provided vaccines and pharmacist time free of charge;
• the UCLA Stein Eye Institute which provided glaucoma screening and eye exams;
• the Tessie Cleveland community services corps who brought their mental health awareness game van;
• Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures who donated dental kits;
• VSP Global who donated comprehensive vision exam and eyewear; and,
• Monarch Pharmacy which donated diabetes testing supplies.

A number of our AUHS students and staff also volunteered so that many of our neighbors could learn that ‘AUHS’ is a word that means ‘rest from stress.’

– AUHS nursing student volunteers worked alongside AUHS faculty and staff to distribute Acts of Love grocery. 400 low-income families and senior citizens helped with fresh groceries: 15 lbs of chicken, canned vegetables, 3 lbs of apples, 10 lbs of potatoes, 2 lbs of rice, grape juice, 5 lbs of carrots
– AUHS SOP PharmD students assisted Walgreens pharmacist vaccinate flu and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination, which was overseen by SOP faculty.
– AUHS Cohort 27 community outreach class helped with event setup, registration, blood glucose screening, blood pressure tests, dental hygiene education and games for children, and TB, smoking cessation, diabetes and hypertension education.
– New and used library books were given to over 100 children that attended the book fair. Many children attend Title 1 elementary schools in the area.

We would like to thank the following students who gave their time to participate in this year’s Health and Wellness Fair.

Sally Contreras, Jamie Gutierrez, Skyler Croner, Therese Sabado, Taylor Carver, Andrew Tanglao, Shannon Esmas, Mayra Marroquin-Bennett, Elisha-Grace Ballon, Tyler Griffin, Sweden Solomo, Raeven Perez, Frances Padre, Monica Lieu, Laurie Joy Daileg, Cameron Nguyen, Ivy Lum, Ahsly Serioza, Kimberly Van, Julianna Ledezma, Dawn-Marie Tumagan, Candice Garcia, Eunice Gonzalez, Dennis Jacobo, Sarah Lay, Vanessa Wences, Lovell Caldejon, Kristine Cargo, John Domingo, Samuel Kori, Ilona Karapetyan, Lili Fayazi, Phuc LamNguyen, Jennifer Tram Nguyễn, John Phuong Nguyễn Vu.

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