MAYWOOD, Ill. – More than 1,500 Maywood students at Proviso East High School will celebrate Food Day at assemblies held throughout the day on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the school located at 807 S. First Ave. in Maywood.
Food Day is a nationwide celebration and movement toward healthier, more affordable and sustainable food. The goals of the day are to raise awareness about: healthy diets, supporting sustainable and organic farms, reducing hunger, reforming factory farms to protect the environment and supporting fair working conditions for food and farm employees.
Loyola University Chicago dietetic intern graduate students in the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing will host an assembly for students to learn more about nutrition. The dietetic interns, who help staff Proviso’s School-based Health Center (SBHC), will address what our food system does right and take action to bring us closer to a system with healthier food. The assembly also will feature a rap performance by two students about real food versus junk food.
Loyola recently celebrated its 10th anniversary of providing health education, nutrition counseling, screenings, primary health care and mental health services to high school students at the SBHC. The center also delivers school physicals and immunizations to elementary school students in District 89 and provides health interventions and outreach to the Maywood community.
The SBHC is staffed by Loyola faculty, nurse practitioners, primary care physicians, registered dietitians and a social worker who offer a variety of health education, prevention and care. The SBHC also serves as a multidisciplinary clinical site for Loyola undergraduate and graduate nursing, dietetic, public health, health-care administration and medical students. The center is fully accredited by the Illinois Department of Human Services.