Phoebe hosts 13th annual Men’s Health Conference

ALBANY — A celebrity chef added to the festivities at the annual Men’s Health Conference on Saturday hosted by Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

The event, conducted at Phoebe HealthWorks on Third Avenue, kicked off with health screenings, education booths and a continental breakfast. There was Zumba provided by Studio V-Fit, followed by physician presentations.

Jerome Brown from “Personal Chef to the Stars” was the final presentation of the day before the event closed out with door prizes. He shared his passion for cuisine and healthy eating habits, and spoke on how to bring families back to the dining table for fellowship and creating memories.

This weekend marked the one-year anniversary of the funeral for Brown’s father, who died after having multiple health problems. The circumstances with his father are motivating him to encourage men to watch their health.

“I’m encouraging men to monitor their health, not just for us, but those who care for us,” he said.

It appeared encouraging that a number of men took the time Saturday morning to recognize the importance of the event, giving Brown hope that it would be the start of something great.

“Some of these guys might be homeless,” he said. “It is a good thing Phoebe is doing it … I want to encourage it to keep going.

“Knowledge is power. Get tested.”

Brown’s appearance was sponsored by Women of Grace.

Glenn Swanson, director of emergency services at Phoebe, said the conference was about focusing on preventive health for a population prone to risky behavior — including the tendency of men to not see a doctor as often as they should, which means a problem is not caught until it has had a chance to do significant damage.

“If they do their regular screenings, we catch these things early and (prevent) debilitating disease,” Swanson said.

Aside from getting ahead of a potential health problem, catching something early also has its financial benefits.

“It is much easier on the pocketbook (if a problem is caught early),” Swanson said. “The cost (of a health problem) is reduced to you and your loved ones.”

“Diabetes & Men ‘A Touch of Sugar’” was presented by Dr. Edward Bass of Phoebe Worth Family Medicine, and followed by Dr. James Black, the emergency department medical director at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, who presented “Chronic Disease and Lifestyle Orientation.”

The Rev. Ezekiel Holley of Dawson has been attending the conference for the last few years. He said he attends even though he has a primary care provider because he wants to set a good example for those associated with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as well as his church. He encourages members to attend.

“There are a lot of low-income people, and (health care) is not accessible,” he said. “If they don’t know the screenings are going on, they are not getting the screenings they need.”

Hospital closures in nearby communities further compound the access problem, Holley said, and the screenings at the health conference — including HIV, blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol and weight and height — are done for free.

“It (the health conference) is a plus in the community, especially people without jobs or on a fixed income,” he said. “There are aging people without a primary care doctor.”

Darrell Sabbs, community benefits coordinator for Phoebe, said Saturday marked the 13th annual event, and at 9:35 a.m. — roughly 90 minutes after the doors opened — 275 men had undergone screenings. There were 60 volunteer nurses helping with screenings from Phoebe as well as Darton State College, and 30 vendors educating people on community resources.

“It’s growing,” he said. “Every year it is growing. This is a doctor’s visit for men, some are uninsured or underinsured. Because of problems with access and affordability, the health fair is a great on-ramp to jump-start a man’s investment in entering into the health system.

“This is only a snapshot of their health status. What we want is to encourage that (the men get) a primary care doctor.”

Elijah Miranda, HIV program director for the Southwest Public Health District, was among those representing the vendors.

“The tougher population for us to reach out to is men, so it is an opportunity for us to target that population,” he said. “When it comes to public health, it is important for us to collaborate with our partners.”

The conference is held annually on Men’s Health Week, which concludes with Father’s Day.