Get your life in balance

With the theme of “Get Balance!”, Caltech’s Health and Work-Life Fair returns to campus on Friday, April 16.

Featuring free health screenings, 10-minute chair massages, goodie bags, live reggae music, and the always-popular climbing wall, the fair is open to the Caltech community and will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Winnett quad. The event is sponsored by Human Resources, Caltech’s Rideshare Program, the Staff and Faculty Consultation Center, and the Caltech Y, with support from Athletics, Campus Life, the Safety Office, Facilities Management, Security and Parking Services, and the Student Health Center.

Now in its second official year, the Health and Work-Life Fair evolved out of the former Wellness Week, a five-day course of events. This year, a wider range of free health screenings and resources will be available, including various screenings by representatives from Health Net, the Institute’s new health-care provider, and blood-pressure screenings by Caltech’s own Health Advocates, who are students trained in preventative health skills and emergency response. The American Red Cross will also hold a blood drive in Winnett lounge. Information on various requirements for the health screenings will be available at the Caltech Bookstore window display.

According to Caltech health educator Jane Curtis, coordinator of the event, she noticed shortly after she arrived on campus in 2002 that the campus culture was one of “work and more work.” She hopes the fair will be a trove of information that can help Caltech community members realize the many benefits of a healthy balance of work or study, family, and other commitments in their lives—a balance that can easily get overlooked by hard-driving Techers.

One possible sign of a changing culture is the interest in nutrition that sparked a new Dining Services initiative. In response to numerous customer requests, Jenny Lew, dietician and general manager for JPL Dining Services, is working with technology manager Mabel Wong to post online nutritional information for student board meals and, eventually, all of the food service’s offerings on campus and at JPL.

Lew and Wong will be among numerous representatives from participating campus organizations, including the Child Educational Center, the Caltech Employees Federal Credit Union, the Women’s Center, and the Caltech Juggling Club. Among the off-campus vendors will be REI, Pasadena Cyclery, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Free Clinic, Cleveland Chiropractic College, HealthCare Partners Medical Group, the Los Angeles County Department of Community and Senior Services, Metro Commute Services, Curves, and the Pasadena Public Health Department.

For more information, contact worklife@caltech.edu or call ext. 8360.
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