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10/17/2008
Free Health Screenings at SuffolkCounty Health Fair
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services' Heart Education, Awareness and Resources Task Force (HEART) has joined with the Latino Health Initiative of Suffolk County and Stony Brook University Medical Center to present the initiative's Second Annual Health Fair on October 18, 2008, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Brentwood Recreation Center at 99 3rd Avenue, Brentwood, NY 11717.
Entitled “Building Bridges for a Healthy Community,” the fair was created to provide free health screenings to the uninsured and underinsured in the Latino community. This year the focus of the fair has broadened and will include a heavy emphasis on community education about disease prevention, especially heart disease.
“SuffolkCounty is leading the way in preventive medicine,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy. “On January 1, 2008, we created, within the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, the Division of Preventive Medicine to further focus our efforts in this area.”
The health fair offers childhood immunizations and screenings for blood glucose levels, blood pressure, oral health, glaucoma, AIDS/HIV, and cholesterol levels. New to the fair this year, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services' HEART team will offer an “Ask the Doctor” table and several primary care physicians and specialists, including cardiologists, will be on hand to answer questions about heart disease screening, prevention and management.
“The task force has been working for months to come up with better ways of educating the community, particularly those in underserved areas, to ensure that they are up-to-date on understanding the risk factors, signs and symptoms, and treatment options for heart disease,” said Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, who set up the task force in February of 2008. “We decided to reach out to the community in their neighborhood in an effort to promote awareness, prevent heart disease, and provide a model for preventive health care for the future.”
Dr. Chaudhry will present a workshop on heart disease prevention guidelines at 11:30 a.m. The task force's health care providers have also started to lecture at area hospitals to make sure physicians and nurses are up to date on the latest management protocols and treatment options available for heart disease.
At the Brentwood Fair, other new activities provided by the Suffolk County HEART team will be a station to help community members calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI), a common marker of weight status, and a health heart walk at the baseball field across the street from the recreation center to promote the importance of physical fitness. Spanish translators will be at the event, which will also feature music and entertainment for the entire family. There will also be raffle prizes and giveaways for those who participate in screenings.
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