The Student Wellness Office created a new program to grant students more accessibility to Wellness resources when Wellness on Wheels was implemented late last month. Amanda Cheetham, a health educator at Elizabethtown College, said she thought a Wellness on Wheels wagon would be a great way to make health services more accessible. “[The Well] is a great resource but not everyone can make it there,” Cheetham said.
Amber Brown, a junior biology and allied health major, explained that the wagon makes it possible to move The Well’s resources to parts of campus with more student traffic, such as the Marketplace and High Library. Additionally, all items available at the wagon are free. Every aspect of the mobile wellness center, from its mobility to free resources, helps make it a more convenient resource for E-town students.
The Wellness on Wheels program centers on a little, blue wagon stocked with products commonly offered at The Well, including cough drops, ibuprofen, condoms, tampons, hand sanitizer, antacids and Gatorade.
The Wellness on Wheels program centers on a little, blue wagon stocked with products commonly offered at The Well, including cough drops, ibuprofen, condoms, tampons, hand sanitizer, antacids and Gatorade. The wagon also is stocked with promotional items and prizes for students who ask questions or give feedback about the Wellness on Wheels program.
Student employees–the Student Wellness Advocacy Group (SWAG)–run the Wellness on Wheels wagon. Brown got involved because she plans to enter the health field after graduation. Though the Student Wellness Office sponsors the wagon, the SWAG members work to bring campus awareness to the mobile unit’s presence. Cheetham and Brown explained that the Student Wellness Office is still trying to expand the Wellness on Wheels program by taking the wagon to events on campus to promote its free resources.
Brown suggested that students look for the Wellness on Wheels wagon over lunchtime on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for the rest of the fall semester, adding that Student Wellness hopes to alter the schedule next semester and add additional stops to the wagon’s tours around campus. The Office plans to station the wagon at the High Library during finals week this semester, Cheetham said. Closer to finals, the Student Wellness Office plans to add de-stress kits—small items, such as pencils, packs of Post-it notes and stress balls–to help students let off a little steam during finals week. Though still in its early stages, Cheetham is confident that the Wellness on Wheels wagon will become a permanent fixture on Etown’s campus.
Read about Wellness on Wheels online. Information is also available on the Student Wellness Office’s Twitter, @etownwellness or #WellonWheels, and the Office Facebook page, ElizabethtownStudentWellness. Brown said the SWAG team plans to broadcast over Facebook and Twitter the wagon’s location when it tours campus, as well as announces available prizes. Those who are curious about the wagon or the services it provides can get in contact with SWAG members or contact Cheetham at cheethama@etown.edu.