By Dianne Anderson

Having to scale countless hurdles of the healthcare system is probably one reason why so many Black patients duck and dodge regular checkups, but an upcoming Orange County health fair may eliminate some of the disdain for what’s stopping them.

Discrimination in medicine.

First-year UC Irvine medical student Leia Salongo senses the need to serve the Black community in ways to help regain trust in the health system that has historically robbed them of well-being.

“I feel like it’s generational, a lot of the feeling that apprehensiveness of seeking healthcare is passed down because of the experiences. That’s one of the goals of this health fair, in seeking all students of LEAD ABC and all Black aspiring doctors who will hopefully create that bridge, and start to work to earn back the trust of our community members,” said Salongo, co-organizer of the healthcare event to be held at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Anaheim.

There, numerous resources and follow-up services build off prior outreach events, including blood pressure and diabetes screenings, stroke prevention and heart health, with topics covering pediatrics, and how to improve diet and exercise.

The free health fair will connect UCI Black medical students and professionals with the community, especially to serve those who need resources the most.

“We’re also hoping to institute a blood drive, that would be really cool because it’s something the church is already doing. To incorporate that into the health fair would be awesome and draw more people,” said Salongo, event co-organizer with Toluwa Balogun, as part of the Leadership Education to Advance Diversity – African, Black and Caribbean (PRIME LEAD-ABC).

On Saturday, April 20, the 3rd Annual Community Well-Being Health Fair is co-hosted with New Hope Presbyterian Church, and runs from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

She said these types of health events pull a strong turnout, likely because the Black community feels confident about the providers at the fair, and appreciate institutions that give back to support their community.

Salongo specifically pursued UCI Medical School for its LEAD ABC program. She wanted an education that focused on serving the underserved community, and to be around doctors who look like her.

“I don’t think I would continue to succeed through school if I didn’t have that,” she said. “It was so important. It’s one of the reasons LEAD ABC was really attractive to me and I think other students in the program would agree.”

The lack of role models in medicine has been a personal challenge that she had to overcome. Many students today have never seen a Black doctor, and she said they are starting to believe they can’t achieve the career.

More effort is needed to get Black middle and high school students out to these types of health fairs so they can see it is within the realm of possibility.

“It’s like a vicious self-fulfilling cycle, they don’t have enough and they don’t see there’s enough,” she said. “When we have Black doctors, we have to do a good job of getting them out in the community.”

Pastor Goodjoin said the church health fair has been a hit in the community. As in past years, she expects a large turnout for free help on just about whatever ails the community.

“It’s focused on health equity, particularly for African Americans in Orange County, but it’s open to the public. Doctors will be there, booths that deal with Gastroenterology, breast cancer, and prostate health, and about 15 booths where people can get information.”

These days, more medical professionals are also looking at the long-term impact of diet and lifestyle, and the idea that food is medicine is more than a cliche. Numerous medical publications and journals confirm that nutrition and whole fresh foods play a big role in staying healthy.

That’s great for those who can afford to eat.

For others, Goodjoin said the community is always welcome to come out for their free weekly food distribution. In the past year alone, they have distributed over 88,000 food items to the community.

This year, she said they are doing a comprehensive deep dive into hunger in Orange County and food insecurity. For over two years, the community has accessed their Wednesday food distribution program, and the need is growing.

“They can get groceries for families and children and we have added to that by planting our first community garden, we expect vegetables to start coming up by Easter and we will give them all away,” she said.

As their vegetables grow taller in the coming weeks — spinach, cabbage, an herb section, tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, parsley, Swiss chard, and lettuce, she is proud of their garden and their partnerships. The Boy Scouts came out to till the land and church members prepared the soil for planting.

“The plants look beautiful. We did this for the season of Lent, it’s a part of us stepping into hospitality and saying what we give away we sacrifice, that we give away doing nothing, by giving back to the community,” she said.

Also coming up, the Good Friday Fish Fry will share all proceeds to fight hunger among two community partners that they chose for strong feeding programs that are feeding multiple thousands.

“The Southwest Community Center, and the other is Son Light Christian Center Food Pantry, we decided that this is too good to keep to ourselves. These two nonprofits are practically feeding people every day, but we are in solidarity in fighting the fight of hunger in Orange County.”

To support the cause, see see  <https://mynewhopepres.org/>