The 14th Annual African American Men’s Health Summit will feature Judge Dwayne D. Woodruff, a former defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as its keynote speaker on April 3. The free health education conference is expected to draw more than 3,500 men of color to the West Concourse of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
Woodruff, who resides in the Pittsburgh area, was elected a judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Allegheny County in 2005. During his 12 years in the NFL through 1990, Woodruff played in Super Bowl XIV, was named team MVP in 1982, and attended law school full time in evening. From 1988 through 1990, he set a precedent for the NFL by practicing law while he played professional football.
Each year the summit features a prominent speaker to inspire, empower and educate men about the hazards of neglecting their health.
Since the first summit was organized in 1996 by Dr. Angela Adams, a pharmacist and executive director of the Central Florida Pharmacy Council, the nonprofit organization has provided health education to more than 25,000 Orange County residents and “free” health screenings to more than 15,000 underinsured and uninsured men in Central Florida.
As the debate over health care reform continues in Washington, D.C., Dr. Adams and the pharmacy council use this one-day “male-only” summit to reach African American, Haitian, Spanish and Caribbean men who are among the 30,000 residents in Orange County without health insurance. Nationally, 28 percent of African American men between 18 to 64 years old do not have health insurance. Ironically, black men suffer disproportionately from most diseases and have a shorter life expectancy.
Test results from the summit have saved the lives of more than 60 men due to early detection of prostate cancer.
“The goal of the African American Men’s Health Summit is to create awareness of the health risks that affect African American men and to present prevention and early detection strategies,” Dr. Adams said. “One of the best strategies we currently have to address the health disparities experienced by black men is education. That is why the summit has continued to draw more men each year as they recognize the importance of making informed decisions about their health.”
During the past decade, the pharmacy council has held programs for men’s church groups, fraternities and inmates and visited homeless shelters, barbershops and health fairs.
There are several conditions that overwhelmingly affect black men compared to others. For instance, the cancer mortality rate for black men is about 50 percent higher than for white men. Black men are also nearly six times as likely to die of AIDS and two times as likely to have diabetes, according to statistics.
Statistics show that men, in general, do not seek medical attention as frequently as females. When the men are uninsured or underinsured that is one more obstacle to getting preventive care. Because they are less likely to have access to healthcare, the annual screenings can have a significant impact on the prognosis of many illnesses.
At the summit, interactive workshops will be presented and health screenings for prostate cancer, cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, colorectal cancer, lung function, body mass index, and back disorders will be available. There will also be information for kidney disease, obesity and mental health.
Dr. Adams launched the summit at her church for the Brotherhood Fellowship in 1996, soon after a close family friend died from prostate cancer. She was motivated to educate black men about that deadly disease because she recognized it was often ignored in the African American community. There was a need, she said, to educate the men about their risk factors and to encourage them to participate in early detection screening.
Dr. Adams have recruited more than 300 volunteers to work with her project and established corporate partnerships and sponsors to fund it. The annual event, which is traditionally held the Saturday before Easter, has drawn such notables as basketball great Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, activist Dick Gregory and the late actor Ossie Davis, in addition to CNN newscasters Tony Harris and Joe Johns.
There is no cost for men to attend but registration is required to attend. Men may register for the one day event at www.BlackMensHealthSummit.com to attend. If you need additional about the summit call the Central Pharmacy Council at (407) 647-9339.
By: Ken Jenkins
