On April 27, the University of Houston hosted the second annual Black Men’s Wellness Day, including a “Save Black Men’s Lives” 5K walk, health screenings, and over 100 vendors that focused on health, wellness, and connecting Black men with social services organizations.
As the Houston Chronicle reports, Black Men’s Wellness Day is an attempt both in Houston and other cities to address disparities in healthcare for Black men. The Executive Director of the African American Wellness Agency’s Houston office, Jamail Johnson, told the outlet that his organization is looking to help save the lives of Black men. “We are literally bringing the clinic to the community,” Johnson said. “I don’t want this to be a conversation after someone dies. This brings the important conversation about our health to the forefront. I want this to be something not just young men benefit from but also old men as well. We are hoping to save lives.”
According to Johnson, at last year’s event, around 20% of the attendees were sent to hospitals around the Houston area due to high blood pressure, cholesterol, and other issues that required immediate medical attention. This underscores data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating that the life expectancy of Black men is 69 years, compared to 78 years for Black women and 76 years for white men.
Richard Browne, the senior medical executive of Health System Strategy and Health Equity at Johnson & Johnson, told KPRC 2 in 2023 that every year that the 5K walk happens, someone is inspired to visit a hospital. “If you’re a Black American, your risk of having an amputation is up to four times higher than white Americans and after you’ve had an amputation, you’re risk of being dead is 50% in one year and over 70% in three years,” Browne said. “Every year we experience at every walk, someone learns numbers that are alarming enough that someone has to immediately go to the hospital.”
Johnson also told the Chronicle that free screenings that measure blood flow were made available through a partnership with Johnson & Johnson, which hopefully will help address why Black men are leading the nation in amputations. In January, Johnson & Johnson and the African American Male Wellness Agency partnered to address healthcare disparities among Black Americans in the healthcare industry.
In a press release, AAMWA President Kenny Hampton described the group’s effort in Philadelphia, saying that he wants the initiative to inspire Black men to take control of their healthcare. “The African American Male Wellness Agency bridges the gap between the community and institutions dedicated to solving the health equity concerns that negatively influence the lives of Black men in Philadelphia,” Hampton said. “Our annual 5K Walk and Run provides free health screenings for men to gain insights into their health and, ultimately, take action against preventable diseases.”
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