To kick off Black Health Awareness Month, the Black Action Society held a health fair in the… To kick off Black Health Awareness Month, the Black Action Society held a health fair in the William Pitt Union Ballroom yesterday afternoon.

The event was open to people of all races, though, because as a community, “we often don’t put enough emphasis on health,” said Naomi Mitchell, BAS programming chair.

Mitchell said that the fair addressed many issues prominent in the college community. These issues included HIV/ AIDS and smoking.

Turtle Creek Valley Mental Health/ Mental Retardation, Inc. informed fair-goers of the harmful effects of tobacco and, in particular, smoking.

Shannon McCleary, a tobacco prevention specialist, encouraged people to try a carbon monoxide detector. This, she explained, measures how much carbon monoxide is in a person’s lung.

Smokers and nonsmokers saw how much they were affected by firsthand and secondhand smoke with this detector.

McCleary also had cards for people to fill out that supported clean indoor air. She said that the cards would be sent to the state government to affect decisions such as indoor smoking bans.

The cards asked for a name, contact information and the reason why the individual supports clean indoor air.

Lupus Pennsylvania, an organization that provides various services such as support groups for people diagnosed with Lupus, was present.

This disease affects blacks three times more than it does whites, according to Barbara Hastings, a patient services director for Lupus Pennsylvania.

Hastings explained the affliction as an autoimmune disease in which the immune system is too strong for the individual, and it begins to attack healthy tissue and organs.

Hastings said she was surprised to find that almost everyone who stopped by her table knew someone with the disease.

She said that many of them did not know that there was an organization that could help those with the disease. Hastings said that she was glad she could inform them of the organization.

Lupus Pennsylvania can help refer people to aspecialist who can diagnose the disease. The group also sends out a newsletter that informs Lupus patients of current research, information and resources. Over 10,000 people receive this newsletter.

Mitchell said she was pleased with the turnout of people. She also said that by the responses on the health fair questionnaire, attendees seemed to have enjoyed the event as well.

“We’ve had really good feedback from the questionnaires,” Mitchell said. “We want to make sure that this fair addresses the issues of the community well.”

More events are being planned for Black Health Awareness Month, according to Mitchell. None are confirmed yet, however.