TOLEDO, Ohio — In the Black community, Black Men have higher rates of diabetes, prostate cancer and other health diseases, according to health website Verywell Health, which cites information from the Center for Diesase Control.
Organizations like the African American Male Wellness Agency do their part in bringing the doctor's office to you in an innovative way.
The Black Men's Wellness Day tour will make its annual stop at Scott High School in Toledo on Saturday. During this event, there will be vendors, community fun, a 5k run/walk and even free health screenings.
Kenny R. Hampton, President of the African American Male Wellness Agency, explains why checking one's health is so important.
"We pride ourselves on bringing the clinic to the community; black men are dying at an alarming rate in the hands of preventable diseases that on average 67 years old, in comparison to our white counterparts, which are dying at age 79 on average," said Hampton. "That's a twelve-year gap."
This is the eighth stop on the Black Wellness tour, and Hampton said it attracts many participants.
"5,000 men were screened last year, and what we learned is 85 percent had high blood pressure, and 56.7 percent didn't even know it. So 8 out of 10 men that come to our even have high blood pressure, and we're just saying we've got to do something about it," said Hampton.
The Black Men's Wellness Day is from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Scott High School.
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