COLUMBIA FALLS - Columbia Falls High School students are teaming up with Logan Health to host a community health fair at the school’s gymnasium on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.
Healthcare vendors from a variety of fields will be on hand to offer guidance on potential careers, while also providing medical resources for students and community members. More than 40 healthcare vendors will gather at the high school.
“When I first came to Columbia Falls High School, I had no idea what I was interested in but now I’m like, there’s so many opportunities in health care that you wouldn’t even think about until you explore and dive into those,” said Columbia Falls High School Senior Kale Peters.
Peters — who is part of a school group called Health Occupations Students of America — is helping organize the community health Fair.
“Really we’re just trying to get the community and our students together to seek and learn about the opportunities that we have in our community through health, maybe finding jobs, just exploring options that people have through health care,” said Peters.
High School Junior Ilah McKenzie said a focus of the event is interactive activities related to physical and mental well-being.
“There’s going to be people doing seminar sessions, kind of like yoga and fitness and really just getting the community involved in things that can be brought into your day-to-day life to just bring up your overall health,” said McKenzie.
Important topics that will be discussed include suicide prevention and grief support. Peters noted mental health is something that should be openly talked about and not shied away from.
“Montana has extremely high suicide rates and we want to prevent that as much as possible, especially in young teens, it’s super important to us at Columbia Falls High School that people have healthy mindsets because growing up in today’s age can be pretty hard.”
McKenzie said one vendor at the health fair will be the high school’s “Believe Blue.” Additionally, a group of students is teaming up to curb teen suicide and help one another feel safe.
“You know it’s pretty incredible that we have kids that are mature enough and willing enough to do that and really get involved in that process,” said McKenzie.
The health fair is open to students only from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and open to the general public from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“Not just high school kids who you know are just starting their education but also adults who have kind of looked around for a career that interests them, and this could be you know the one that they need,” added McKenzie.
