Community Events

The St. James Health Fair is a recurrent health fair and screening event hosted by Rush Medical College every fall, with a specific focus on serving underserved Asian American and immigrant individuals in the Bridgeport and Chicago Chinatown area. The health fair is student-led and includes vision and chronic disease screenings, healthcare education and resources, and a free food pantry hosted in collaboration with the local St. James Pantry in Bridgeport. As the main organizers behind the event, we not only integrate multiple Rush Medical departments and attendings into supervising outreach and care, but also collaborate with other Chicagoland medical schools (eg: UChicago, Northwestern) to serve even more community members. As part of our screening, we also integrate multidisciplinary student healthcare volunteers from each institution, with each screening table providing translation services and culturally sensitive care for individuals. While the event primarily serves around 100 elderly and underserved AAPI community members every year, we also serve any individuals in the Chicago area that may need access to free screenings and resources – including around 30 to 40 non-AAPI, marginalized community members who often do not have health insurance or do not speak English. This event aligns strongly with APAMSA’s mission in values by not only providing resources and accessibility to underserved AAPI communities, but also by highlighting unique health challenges facing the Chicago AAPI communities in a culturally sensitive manner.