Program provides no cost health screenings, education, and seminars to men in the local community.
In collaboration with UConn Health, My People Community Services, CT Area Health Education Center (AHEC), and the Urban League of Greater Hartford, Trinity Health Of New England hosted the “Men’s Health is Community Health” event on Saturday, February 4 at the Connecticut Institute for Primary Care Innovation (CIPCI) on the Saint Francis Hospital campus.
The first in a series, Saturday’s event, which was free to the public, provided various health screenings to over 100 local men, including blood glucose, blood pressure, prostate cancer, Sickle Cell Anemia, and oral health. These screenings were performed by UConn Medical Residents practicing at Saint Francis. In addition to screenings, attendees were invited to attend 10-minute seminars presented by Saint Francis physicians on their respective specialties. Andrew Fuller, M.D., represented Primary Care; Damian Moskal, M.D. presented on Neurology; Paul Moy, M.D. spoke about Urology; and Robert Kahan, M.D., represented Cardiology. Following the presentations, the physicians held a question and answer session for those in attendance.
During the seminar, 200 free lunches were provided, sponsored by Aetna. There were also with informational tables from local organizations, with door prizes and additional giveaways.
“Health equity means that everyone is afforded a fair opportunity and the social supports needed to be as healthy as possible, regardless of their zip code,” said Carolyn Alessi, Regional Director for Community Health and Well Being at the Curtis D. Robinson Center for Health Equity at Saint Francis Hospital. “Trinity Health Of New England and Saint Francis Hospital have a longstanding tradition of bringing preventative health screenings and other health-related outreach and education sessions to the community at convenient, non-clinical gathering places. This Men’s Health Event aims to engage the most underserved men in the neighborhoods surrounding our hospitals and pave a way for them to realize more equitable health outcomes.”
“Men’s health is community health,” said Abdul-Rahmaan I. Muhammad, Executive Director of My People Community Services. “When the men in the community are present, strong, and healthy, the community benefits and it is also strong and healthy. On the other hand, when men in the community are absent, weak, and unhealthy, the community suffers, and it too is weak and unhealthy. Our Men’s Health Events are a tool to provide awareness and resources to men that will lead to better communities.”
“We are delighted to partner with My People Clinical Services and Trinity Health Of New England to bring screenings and health education to Hartford and the surrounding communities through this partnership,” said Anton Alerte, M.D., Associate Dean for Primary Care at UConn School of Medicine. “As future leaders and members of healthcare teams, our Urban Health/AHEC Scholars are passionate about learning with and from the community members we serve.”
“Service is a critical component of the Urban Service Track program and dependent upon relationships with community, healthcare, and faith-based partners,” said Petra Clark-Dufner, Director of CT AHEC based at UConn Health. “We are excited to add My People Clinical Services as a partner to support efforts by CT AHEC/UConn Health to provide preventative and primary care initiatives to the communities we serve.”
Additional Men’s Health Events are scheduled for March 25, 2023, at the East Hartford Community Center and April 15, 2023, at The First Cathedral in Bloomfield.
About Trinity Health Of New England
Trinity Health Of New England is an integrated nonprofit health care delivery system formed in 2015 and is a member of Trinity Health located in Livonia, Michigan, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation serving communities in 22 states. Trinity Health Of New England is comprised of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut; Johnson Memorial Hospital and Home & Community Health Services in Stafford Springs, Connecticut; Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut; Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts; Providence Behavioral Health Hospital in Holyoke, Massachusetts; Mercy’s Rehabilitation Hospital, Springfield, Massachusetts; and Brightside for Families and Children. Visit TrinityHealthOfNE.org for more information and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @THOfNewEngland