'Empowering patients' theme of Aurora African-American health fair
The health of the African-American community - from babies to senior citizens - was on the minds of exhibitors at the fifth annual Aurora African-American Health Fair Saturday.
Its theme this year was "empowering patients."
The fair was held in the cafeteria at West Aurora High School. Hospitals, doctor groups, church ministries and more presented information and conducted health screenings. People could get blood tests for cholesterol and diabetes, and have their blood pressure checked. High blood pressure, which is more prevalent among African-Americans, can damage kidneys.
The Kane County Health Department showed how to properly put an infant to bed, to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which African-American babies are statistically two to three times more likely to suffer than the general population.
One of the more pointed presentations was offered by Daisy Viyuoh, a child care nurse consultant with the Kane County Health Department. She demonstrated the harmful effects of shaking a baby, using a special doll. Lights in the head turned on when the doll was shaken, and she pointed to them, explaining how injuries to each portion of the brain can destroy a baby's ability to walk, talk, see, hear and think. She told visitors how easy it is to become frustrated with an infant that seems to be crying for no reason.
"So when you're baby-sitting and you feel frustrated, call for help," she told some teenage girls who stopped by the booth.
"People don't like to talk about it. But this is very important," Viyuoh said.
Apryll Elliott, a student nurse, was pleased to see men visiting the fair. African-American men are less apt to go to a doctor, she said, but the community suffers higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and prostate cancer than other groups. "We need to get more information out about it."
Girl Scout Troop 761 of Main Baptist Church decided there should be something for children, and had its own room, with displays on healthful snacks, aerobic exercise, safe bicycling, emergency preparedness and other topics.
Scout Mariah Brown, a sixth-grader at Washington Middle School, said she'd gone through "quite a few batches" of the snack mix she served. It was made of banana chips, Quaker Oat Squares and raisins. She gave Web sites for recipes.
Harvie Ferrell of Senior Services Associates wanted to make sure people know about state services for people over age 60, including offering help figuring out Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage and how to identify abuse of elders, whether it be physical or financial.
Mental health was covered as well.
"Mental health is a stigma in the African-American community," with mental-health problems perceived as a sign that someone is weak-minded, said psychologist Tiffany D. Sanders, who has a practice in Naperville.
People traditionally talked to their elders or a pastor about problems, she said. Some people are worried about privacy and some are more comfortable with a counselor of their own race.
"I want them to know it's OK to seek out mental-health care," she said. "There are African-American counselors that can see you."
The fair was organized by the Aurora African-American Health Fair Committee, which has representatives from local hospitals, clinics, service groups, the Kane County Health Department, the Fox Valley Minister's Alliance, state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia and the Quad County Urban League.