Free Health Expo Addresses Increasing Epidemic of Diabetes in Central Brooklyn
By Office of the President | Apr 17, 2023
Downstate Health Sciences University, alongside other healthcare organizations, collaborated with the Central Brooklyn Diabetes Task Force and New Creation Community Health Empowerment Corp. for a free “Health Expo and Diabetes Symposium” a few weeks ago at Thomas Jefferson High School in East New York. This event was designed to address the increasing epidemic of diabetes in the Brooklyn community.
The health expo featured free health screenings and diabetes prevention and management education by Betty Jung, RN, Center for Community Health Promotion and Wellness (CCHPW), and COM student Kelita Waterton, Sarah Marshall, DNP, MS, RNC, provided breastfeeding education, given the American Diabetes Association’s recommendation that “Breastfeeding has many proven health benefits for mothers and babies, including helping to prevent diabetes.”
Tenya Blackwell, DrPH, from the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, discussed how diabetes could be rooted in the social determinants of health. The symposium featured presentations from experts from One Brooklyn Health and other local healthcare providers who shared their knowledge about diabetes prevention and management in Central Brooklyn and East New York.
Downstate community partner Min. John Williams, Founder, President/ CEO of New Creation Ministries Inc. & New Creation Community Health Empowerment Inc. (NCCHE), and Elizabeth Helzner, Ph.D., MS, Associate Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics coordinated the event. It featured a video message from Mayor Eric Adams, who discussed the importance of lifestyle intervention for diabetes prevention, management, and reversal. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso spoke about the gravity of the diabetes epidemic in Brooklyn, how diabetes and gestational diabetes are important risk factors for maternal morbidity and mortality, and the importance of community engagement in addressing the diabetes crisis.
The event ended by outlining a plan of action to engage faith-based institutions to work alongside the healthcare sector, community-based organizations, the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, and the Offices of the Mayor and Brooklyn Borough President, respectively, to address the growing issue.
Downstate volunteer corps members Vicente Marshall and Melissa Rojas assisted with registration and set-up.
Tags: Events