Diabetes, HIV, and heart disease are issues not often discussed among black circles, a problem several community groups are determined to fix.
Family Health Fair 2005 will take place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday at Second Baptist Church, 1717 Benson Ave. The event will feature a nutritionist and a pediatric dentist. Health educators from the Chicago Women’s AIDS Project will administer free and anonymous HIV testing. Visitors can also receive free diabetes testing.
The Women’s Ministry of Second Baptist organized much of the event. Members will use films and handouts to educate visitors on heart disease, breast cancer, and lupus – an inflammatory disease affecting the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. These topics will be discussed alongside issues like mental and dietary health for adults and children.
“It’s an opportunity for people to be screened,” event coordinator Diane Sibley said. “It provides them the opportunity to ask questions and get information at no cost.”
Sibley said she worked with other church members, members of the Evanston/North Shore chapter of the NAACP and women in Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority to organize the health fair. After six months of planning, Sibley expects at least 60 visitors at the fair.
The National Kidney Foundation donated the diabetes testing materials. The Women’s AIDS Project in Chicago will screen visitors for HIV using both blood and oral methods.
Results will be available approximately 30 minutes after the test, said Cathy Christeller, executive director of the Women’s AIDS Project. Test administrators will offer a confirmation test for any who test positive at a follow-up appointment. Information on how and where to receive HIV treatment will also be available.
Christeller said the HIV epidemic is concentrated in minority communities, where fewer people have access to health care and accurate information. Women of color are being grossly affected, she added.
“Women are vulnerable because of violence, coercion and a lack of power in relationships,” Christeller said.
The Chicago-based organization offers programs to support women and families living with HIV.
Reach Vincent Bradshaw
