MU Health Care offering free health screenings, education at the State Fair

The gates of the Missouri State Fair opened last week, and University of Missouri Health Care is there offering cancer screenings and medical education.

Maegen Hahn, an interim outreach coordinator for Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, helped organize the events, and said this outreach is about showing Missourians that MU Health Care isn’t just some faceless organization in the distance, but instead people within their communities.

“Our greatest goal is to really let fairgoers know that we're there for them,” Hahn said. “For those things that, you know, creep up in our life, that aren't as exciting and delicious and wonderful as fried food.”

MU Health Care offered head and neck cancer screenings last week, as well as educated fairgoers on cancer awareness, screenings and mobile cancer treatment options.

She said the outreach began as a passion project of the Ear, Nose and Throat department, and then expanded as more department signed on.

“We had really great success with people really being passionate and wanting to go to the State Fair to raise awareness and educate the state around these issues,” Hahn said.

People at the fair will be seen by MU Health Care medical professionals, but Hahn was sure to clarify that they will be walking away from their screenings with education and recommendations.

“This is not treatment,” Hahn said. “This is very much that preliminary look through to say, ‘Hey, something looks concerning.’”

She said one of the most rewarding things for her was just talking to people and letting them know about resources like a “Quit Tobacco Now”class that is available via zoom to anyone in Missouri.

“Giving them resources and ways to change their behaviors, but also learn about, you know, screenings that are available to them was really great,” Hahn said, “That was a wonderful time.”

MU Health Care will be offering different screenings and education throughout the rest of the fair, including skin cancer screenings, Medicaid enrollment or reenrollment education, and blood pressure and heart health screenings.

The screenings are located at Mizzou Central, a 10,000 square-foot exhibition area located in the Mo-Ag Building.