Health is Wealth

Gateway Youth Center today held its fifth annual health fair at the Battle Field Park in downtown Belize City. Held under the theme “Health is Wealth”, the goal this year was to stress the importance of a healthy lifestyle.  The fair saw the participation of at least ten organizations, which set up booths with informational posters for students from invited schools. Hipolito Novelo reports.

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

Held under the theme, Health is Wealth, the fifth annual health fair organized by the Gateway Youth Center seeks to encourage visitors to become more interested in their health.

Erolyn Sebastian

Erolyn Sebastian, Counselor, Gateway Youth Center

“It’s just something that we feel is important to give back to the community. It is something that we will continue having until we believe that everyone in society understands the importance of health.  We try to focus on different aspects of health, not only physical health but mental physical and emotional health as well.”

Having taken place at the Battlefield Park in Belize City, this year’s health fair saw the participation of about fifteen organizations and thirty schools.  The fair covered different aspects of health, from physical, to emotional to mental. Deshane Gutierrez is a clinical psychologist

Deshane Gutierrez

Deshane Gutierrez, Clinical Psychologist

“Mental health awareness isn’t just about mental illness; it is about promoting mental health and about coping with your environment. I also have some assessment and counseling services. The assessments relate to your mental wellbeing. For us to understand how to cope, we have to understand in terms how we perceive.  Talking about health is wealth is very important in terms that there are different aspects of health.”

The Belize Council for the Visually Impaired, BCVI, occupied a booth at today’s fair.

Jahira Vasquez

Jahira Vasquez, B.C.V.I.

“It is very important that you check your eyes because it is something that people tend to ignore. A lot of people don’t think about their eyes.  Let’s say that you lose your eyesight suddenly, it is very important you seek out help and get your eyes tested. But apart from that, it is important to check it every year especially if you are diabetic or hypertensive.”

According to counselor Erolyn Sebastian, one of the main goals of the fair is to reach the young population.

Erolyn Sebastian

“Young people they believe that they are untouchable and because they are young they don’t believe that it is something that they need to focus on right now. But believe or not we have so many young persons who are suffering from high blood pressure, cholesterol and from eating unhealthy. By having his fair for them hopefully every year they remember what they need to do when it comes to their health.”

Hipolito Novelo, News Five.