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Organizers of local activities that have been scheduled as part of Minority Health Month say they are looking to help promote health-centered discussions, habits and practices that members of the community can use all year round, not just during April.
Those are crucial components to remember not just this month, but all year long.
According to the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, the goals of the month have remained the same since the recognition was established in 1989. Those are to provide information that will allow individuals to practice disease prevention, promote healthy lifestyles, showcase providers of grassroots health care resources and information, highlight the disparate health conditions between minority and non-minority populations and gain support for efforts to improve minority health year-round.
While maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important for everyone, there are some sobering statistics that highlight the importance of reaching out to minority populations. For example, the National Safety Council reports that the life expectancy for Black people is 70.8 years, compared to 76.4 years for white people, 77.7 percent for Hispanics and 83.5 years for Asians.
Nationally, the theme of the month has been "Better Health Through Better Understanding," and, locally, the theme has been "Taking Charge of My Health and Well-being."
Events have included the Stop the Violence, Start the Healing 5K walk-run and health fair on April 1, which was designed, in part, to call attention to the growing concern of violence as a minority health disparity; the Dance for Life Workshop: Hybrid Edition Part 2 on April 14; and the Holistic and Natural Health Day and minority health luncheon on April 15; and men's health breakfast on April 22; Still to come are the men's free prostate screening on Tuesday; and the women's mammogram screening on Friday.
"As a community, we must learn to take health promotion and disease prevention seriously," said Cynthia Lytle, director of community engagement and development at the Steubenville-based Urban Mission Ministries, describing Minority Health Month as an opportunity for people to take advantage of free health services and receive valuable information that can change and possibly save lives.
That's a good philosophy to embrace today, tomorrow and every day in the future.