UAB’s Live HealthSmart Alabama Community Wellness Program hosted its first “Spring Into Wellness” health fair on Saturday in Legion Field, Birmingham. This is part of a $ 2.7 million effort to strengthen community health measures in low-income areas.
This event will give doctors information and demonstrations on wellness screening, specific blood tests, COVID tests, COVID vaccines, mobile markets offering fresh produce and other groceries, and ways to lead a healthier lifestyle. I was able to access it for free.
The Live HealthSmart program aims to improve some of Alabama’s dire health rankings by providing better access to quality food, exercise and transportation for low-income or needy communities. And.
This group cites the national health rankings that ranked Alabama 47th for overall health, 49th for diabetes, 48th for cardiovascular disease, 45th for obesity, and 45th for physical activity. did.
Dr. Monahuad, director of the UAB’s Minority Health and Health Inequalities Research Center and CEO of the Live HealthSmart Alabama Program, said that improving these rankings would require full effort in various areas. rice field.
“We understand that we need to focus on policies, systems and the environment to make a difference, not just on individual behavior,” Fouad said. “For example, if there are areas we consider to be food deserts because all grocery stores and services have been drawn from these areas, we need to bring access to healthy food.”
Fouad received a $ 2.7 million grant from the UAB’s Grand Challenge Initiative to create a program in 2019. Now that concerns about COVID-19 are beginning to fade, efforts are in full swing.
To reduce the number of food deserts throughout the Birmingham area, the team created a mobile market, a small grocery store with wheels that can move to food desert areas to facilitate healthy eating. did.
The market offers a wall of fresh produce, many of which are purchased from East Lake Farmers Markets, including pantry staples such as proteins, dairy products, spices, bread, cereals and canned foods.
The market accepts cash, credit, or EBT cards with a bonus “double back” program. For each EBT dollar used in the market, customers will receive a double back coupon that can be used to purchase produce on their next visit.
“It was a great opportunity for the area we go to,” said Angela Arlington, who manages the mobile market. “You don’t have to say. I don’t have money for produce, so I can’t get produce. I need milk, I need eggs, I need something else.”
“In essence, we can now get them both. That’s great. That’s why we have a lot of repeaters.”
According to Arlington, fresh fruit is one of the most popular products on the market, alongside other well-known kitchen staples.
“Ritz crackers, above all, can’t keep inventory,” she said. “Agricultural products work really well. Fresh fruits like plums, pears this week. Bananas always disappear really quickly. Grapes are a big seller.”
Teresa Shufflebarger, Chief Administrative Officer of the LiveHealthSmart program, said the market serves at least 1,500 different customers visiting 18 different locations, many of which are repeaters. She said that about 60% of the market’s sales come from EBT, which means that the program reaches people who were intended to make a profit.
“We connect with the community members who need us most, and more than 40% of our sales are agricultural products,” says Shufflebarger. “So what we are told is that we can actually bring those healthy food choices to the community.”
Markets are held biweekly in Bessemer, Bush Hills, East Lake, Fairfield, Fountain Heights, Kingston, Norwood, Smithfield, Tarant, Titusville, UAB / Cooper Green, according to the schedule posted on the program’s website. Will be done.
Katrina Seawell and Letrel Blake in Birmingham were one of the first customers to visit the mobile market at the Health Fair on Saturday. Sewell said she would certainly be back.
“It’s very nice,” she said. “It’s my first time to come out, but I’m sure it will make me smile.”
However, access to groceries is just one issue.
People also need to be able to cook and use those groceries, so the program will provide recipe cards on its website, host a cooking demonstration by Hot and Hot Fish Club chef Chris Hastings, and be available on the market. Show customers how to make a healthy diet using the best ingredients.
There is also the issue of preventive health examinations. Common health problems, such as diabetes, can be debilitating and have costly long-term consequences if left untreated. Still, many people do not have access to early detection and care that can help stop those more dire consequences.
Similar to the market, but on a different schedule, Live HealthSmart sends a mobile wellness track to the community to check height, weight, BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and other common blood preventive wellness for adults and adolescents. A test that provides a visit.
Forad said that mobile wellness clinics, like market programs, have reached the people who need them most.
“We found that 80% of the people we see are out of the normal range,” Fouad said. “after that [the doctors] Follow-up, they link them to the provider and provide counseling.
“Once again, we have access to the community and are not waiting for the community to see a doctor.”
The program also works with the city of Birmingham and local construction companies such as Brassfield & Gory, Dan Construction and Balkan Materials to make it easier for people to access transportation, parks and infrastructure within the community. We are making improvements.
“We are repairing sidewalks, building pedestrian crossings, and lighting them so that people can walk freely in safe areas,” Fouad said. “We connect homes with sidewalks to parks and clean green spaces, so we make people feel good about their community.
Fouad said the listed companies generally donate materials and human resources to improve the entire community.
“They know their workforce, most of their employees live and their families live in these communities,” Fouad said. “So they were interested in it and wanted to do something, but they didn’t know how. Live HealthSmart Alabama gave them the opportunity to do it.”
Valerie Abbott, a member of the Birmingham City Council, was present at a fair showing her support for the program. She took the opportunity provided by Live HealthSmart to encourage residents to improve her health.
“Health affects every aspect of your life. In Birmingham, there are problems with food deserts, obesity, diabetes and more,” Abbott said. “You name it, we have it, and it’s not good.
“So we need to encourage people to raise their ante.”
The first four focus areas of the program were in the Birmingham district of Titusville, East Lake, Kingston and Bush Hills. However, according to Fouad, the program is expanding its reach to other parts of the Birmingham metropolitan area, such as Dallas County in the black belt (around Selma).
“We want to partner with other universities, hospitals, organizations and cities to recreate what we’re doing here,” says Fouad. “We modeled Birmingham and then [other groups] You can do it in your own city. “