UAMS, Community Organizations to Sponsor Health Fair at Philander Smith College

By todd

| LITTLE ROCK — An upcoming Family Fun Festival sponsored by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and several community organizations will feature health screenings, entertainment, children’s games and more. Admission is free.

The event is scheduled for 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 29 at Philander Smith College. In addition to prostate cancer screenings and mammograms, health screenings will include glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, HIV, and ear and throat conditions. Physicals for student athletes also will be available.

The UAMS Arkansas Cancer Research Center’s (ACRC) Modular Mammography Program will offer screening mammograms for women age 40 and older. Those wanting to participate must call (800) 275-1183 to verify eligibility. Women with insurance must present proof of coverage at the time of the screening. Those who are uninsured or underinsured may qualify to have the cost of their mammogram covered through the BreastCare program.

Prostate cancer screenings coordinated by Philander Smith College will be available for men 40 and older. Preregistration is not required; however, men 50 and older are requested to call Al Assad Rasheed, Ph.D., at (501) 296-1248, Ext. 3, if they plan to participate.

Health-related presentations will include applying faith to health and the relationship between nutrition and disease, as well as programs by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Arkansans for a Drug Free Youth’s YES (Youth Extinguishing Smoking) Team.

Entertainment will include activities for adults and children, including inflatable games, face painting, a cupcake walk, a Peer-2-Peer Media Contest and more.

The festival is funded by the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Community Impact Program and Royal Bank of Canada Liberty Life Insurance.

Sponsors include the UAMS ACRC Cancer Control Outreach Center; the Philander Smith College Harry R. Kendall Science and Health Mission Center; Omicron Lambda Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; Little Rock Alumni Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; St. Mark Baptist Church; Watershed, Inc; Arkansas Minority Health Commission; and Memphis Health Systems.

Philander Smith College has exhibited a long-term commitment to addressing health issues, particularly among low-income and minority populations, through the development of the Harry R. Kendall Science and Health Mission Center. The center is one of only two college-based science and health mission centers of its kind in the United States. It is designed to conduct outreach initiatives and activities that address health disparities in the community, state, nation and world.

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,320 students and 690 medical residents. It is one of the state’s largest public employers with almost 9,000 employees, including nearly 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the VA Medical Center. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $4.3 billion a year.