Read this article as it originally appeared April 29, 2010 on nj.com | localtalknews.com
A free Women's Health Fair will be held at the North Ward Center's Family Success Center in Newark on Saturday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The pre-Mother's Day event, which is being held in collaboration with the Newark Community Health Centers and Horizon Blue Cross-Blue Shield of New Jersey, is designed to create awareness of women's health issues and kicks off National Women's Health Week from May 10-15.
The health fair will take place in the Casa Israel Adult Medical Day Care parking lot at 286 Mt. Prospect Avenue and will feature a variety of free health screenings for breast cancer, diabetes, body mass index, blood pressure, HIV and lead poisoning. A breast cancer awareness workshop will be provided by Nancy Fogel, a certified nurse midwife at Newark Community Health Centers.
"We call this a women's health fair, but this is really for the entire family," said Vanessa Bohler, the director of Family Success Center. "We will have information that will be helpful to families as well as screenings for children. We'll also have giveaways, face paintings and raffles. It will be a worthwhile and fun day for the entire family."
Among the community resource vendors scheduled to attend the fair are The Center for Autism at The North Ward Center, Casa Israel Medical Adult Day Care Center, SPANN, Division of Youth & Family Services, Newark Department of Child & Family Well Being and Newark Now Financial Empowerment Center.
Those who attend the event and do not have health insurance can receive a coupon for a free physical.
"Our goal is to encourage grandmothers and mothers to take time out to focus on their health and wellness," said Caryl Lucas, director of communications and marketing for Newark Community Health Centers. "With the high incidents of breast cancer and heart disease plaguing women, it's crucial that women become more proactive in obtaining the necessary screenings, such as yearly breast exams to ensure that any problems are detected early.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer annually worldwide about 465,000 will die from the disease. Breast cancer death rates have been dropping steadily since 1990, according to the Society, because of earlier detection and better treatments."
Adrianne Davis, the Executive Director of The North Ward Center, said the health fair is an important service of the Family Success Center.
"It's crucial to reach out to the community to offer these types of services, especially in observance of National Woman's Health Week," Davis said. "As an organization, we are firmly committed to doing our part to ensure members of our community are healthy."
National Women's Health Week is a weeklong health observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health. National Women's Health Week empowers women to take simple steps for a longer, healthier, and happier life, including exercising, eating a nutritious diet, getting regular medical checkups and preventive screenings, avoiding risky behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seatbelt and paying attention to mental health.
As part of the week-long women's initiative, Newark Community Health Centers will provide free mammograms from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its satellite center at East Orange Primary Care Center, located at 444 William Street in East Orange. To register, please call Nilsa Santiago, a Community Outreach Representative for Newark Community Health Centers, at 973-390-9469.
The North Ward Center's Family Success program started in June 2007 and is one of 32 such sites in the state. Family success centers are open to any member of the community seeking support, information, and services.
The Newark Community Health Center is one of six federally qualified health centers in Newark, East Orange, Orange and Irvington.
For more information, call 973-485-5723
