More than 250 free health screenings for men, women and children took place on Saturday, September 23 at the annual Community Health Fair, held at Harris-Stowe State University by 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis and the Prostate Cancer Coalition.
“This health fair was not just educating people, but meeting people where they are and offering them screenings that many people cannot afford because they are uninsured or underinsured,” said event organizer, Lannis Hall, M.D. “This was the first time that the 100 Black Men had a totally free health care event, so we partnered with them to make that happen.”
Hall is director of radiation oncology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Siteman Cancer Center in St. Peters.
The Community Health Fair offered free PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, testing for men, mammograms for women, glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol testing. There were hearing and vision screenings for kids and Affinia Health care offered dental screenings and simple repairs for children. Additionally, Walgreens offered free flu shots and the St. Louis Department of Health offered STD and lead testing.
“You really could have come and if you didn’t have a health care provider or had not been to the doctor, you could have had really a full work up,” Hall said – “for free.”
President of 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis Leroy Shumpert, said is important to the organization to heighten health awareness among black men and in the community.
“We were very excited to partner with the Prostate Cancer Coalition on this effort,” Shumpert said. “We wanted to really make sure this event had something for everyone – for the kids, for the adults – men and women.”
The Prostate Cancer Coalition, founded by physicians in 2014, is comprised of health professionals, survivors and community organizations.
“It is made up of physicians, prostate cancer survivors, health care organizations, like Siteman, the American Cancer Society and our partners are the federally qualified health centers,” Hall said.
Organizers said more than 100 individuals participated in a 5K prostate cancer run/walk, including several members of The Empowerment Network, a health advocacy group of prostate cancer survivors and a member of the Coalition. Hall said the walk did not raise money. It raised awareness.
Prostate cancer survivor and Major League Baseball legend Ken Griffey Sr. was a special guest and signed autographs during the event. Griffey played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and the Seattle Mariners from 1973 through 1991. He was also the first pro baseball dad to play simultaneously in the majors with his son, Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.
From his personal experience and that of his family, Griffey became an advocate for prostate cancer awareness and screening among African American men.
“Being an athlete, every year you get a physical. My last couple of physicals is when I found out I had prostate cancer,” he said. “I went through all the biopsies and surgery and had it removed, but before that, I lost four uncles to prostate cancer. Those are the things that motivated me to be an advocate for screenings.”
Hall hopes they will build on this year’s event and bring in more residents next year to get vital health screenings at no cost.
“We are going to continue to do this each year and continue to do it completely free as long as I am a part of it, because think that’s a benefit for the kind of insurance landscape that we have right now,” Hall said.
“We had over 45 vendors all out to offer information and free health screenings and to get people signed up for free health insurance if they were uninsured. We had the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, Alive and Well, along with Affinia and CHIPS and People’s and they’re really able to plug people into health care, not just for the event, but for the long-term.”
Hall also expressed gratitude to the event host, partners and participating churches.
“We were extremely thankful to Harris-Stowe and the partnership between 100 Black Men and the Prostate Cancer Coalition – we just want to build it further,” she said.
“The churches played a huge role in this, and we want to build off the participation of the churches throughout St. Louis who really came out.”
“We look forward to this event in the future,” Shumpert added. “We want it to become larger, and we are excited to see the partnership grow.”
