The 18th Annual Renegade Pulse Health Fair took place at the Bakersfield College campus on April 18. Many vendors were on campus that day including from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., GETbus and Planned Parenthood, among others. The event was sponsored by the Student Health and Wellness Center and the Bakersfield College Associate Degree Nursing Program.

The Director ofthe Student Health and Wellness Center, Raymond Purcell, explained that the event is a long-runningtradition every spring at Bakersfield College. He also explained a little of what the event was about.

“The event is to give knowledge to our students about their health and how companies such as GET bus, Planned Parenthood, andothers can help them too,” said Purcell.

Purcell also explained that many people might have question,such as how a company like GETbus can help improve the community’s health, given that it is public transportation. He added that when it comesto health there are two important social determinants of health.

The first social determinant of health is literacy because with it you can learn many important things, notjust health-relatedbut also other important information, but it is hard to have literacy without an education.

“The second is higher education. The more members of a community have a higher education the better the health of the community will be by all measures and metrics,” said Purcell.

Purcell explained that if someone can’t afford a car in order to help them obtain this higher education, the bus can enable that access to their education. He also explained that public transportation is a very green technology, so it not only helps studentsbut the environment as well.

Planned Parenthood was also there to advisethe Bakersfield College students about how pregnancy can disrupt their education.

Purcell explained that pregnancy often can become a complete disruption of a student’s academic process, and some students might not evencome back after the pregnancy.

Purcell said that this year’s Renegade Pulse Health Fair had a little more than 40 local health companies giving health-relatedinformation to students, and they were not being charged for being there.

“We don’t pay vendors for being here, and we also don’t charge them a fee for being here on campus,” Purcell said.

Purcell said that for the next event the Student Health and Wellness Center will be partnering up with the library and have De-Stress Fest, and it will be the fourth semester that the event takes place at BC.

Purcell explained that the main reason why this event started to happen was becausein 2016 Bakersfield College had conducted a survey of 15,000 students and the top five reasons students reported that were impacting them academicallywere predominantlymental health factors.

The Miracle Mutts of Marley’s Mutts are being contacted so they can attend forthis event that will take place on May.