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More than a dozen �鶹��Ƶ nursing students recently presented information and conducted screenings at a health fair offered in partnership with San Rafael’s Vivalon, the largest nonprofit serving older adults and people with disabilities in Marin. About 100 older adults attended the event.

The fair was a collaborative effort, organized by Dr. Kendra Hoepper, chair of nursing; Deborah Meshel, assistant professor of nursing; and nursing student Lisa Isley. Educational booths were staffed by nursing students from Meshel’s Community Health course.

The booths covered topics such as nutrition, mental health, sexual health, blood pressure screening, skin care, community CPR and fall prevention. Event partners included Hospice by the Bay (providing end-of-life resources), the Lion’s Club (offering vision screenings), The Buck Institute, the Marin County Commission on Aging, the Hearing Loss Association, and Marin Community Clinics.

Meshel hopes the fair will become an annual event, particularly as it reflects a growing interest among nursing students and alumni in community-based care.

“In recent years, California has seen a shift in the nursing workforce, with many RNs seeking roles in public health, outpatient clinics, and non-hospital settings,” she says. “Several alumni have reached out to share their desire to pursue this path and have asked for support as they make this meaningful transition in their careers.”

The need for healthcare workers is particularly strong in Marin County, which has one of the highest percentages of older adults in California and the Bay Area. As of 2023, approximately 24.7% of Marin’s population is 65 or older—well above the state average of 16.2% and the national average of 17.7%. Despite these numbers, this population is often underserved in traditional healthcare settings.

“A key focus of our community health nursing course is illness prevention and health promotion,” says Meshel, an assistant professor of nursing in the School of Health and Natural Sciences.

“The health fair served as a meaningful opportunity for students to engage directly with older adults in our community, offering education on vital topics while also addressing the equally important goal of reducing social isolation.”