“We are going to give away blood pressure monitors, weight scales, information, screening for teeth, legs, feet, vision, and ears, mammograms and blood tests for blood sugar, cholesterol, kidney function,” Neravetla said.
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The doctor is the chairperson of Springfield NAACP Health and said while Springfield healthcare options are growing, healthcare in black communities aren’t growing fast enough.
“I have been in Springfield for almost 40 years now and I recognize that Springfield is lagging behind,” he said. “This takes place in all big and medium-size cities but this is my town and I feel that if part of our town is lagging being that means all of it is lagging behind and we need to do something about it.”
The health fair will have doctors and nurses that attend, Neravetla said, which he noted doesn’t always happen at health fairs.
He said the number one health concern for black Americans is high blood pressure — like other races — but it is especially important for African Americans to get a handle on it.
“The effects high blood pressure are many times more severe than in white Caucasians,” Neravetla said. “The reality is black Americans pay a much larger price due to high blood pressure than any anybody else.”
Along with suffering more from the health effects, black Americans are more at risk of not getting the care they need until it’s too late, Neravetla said.
“There’s a culture problem. People in these areas don’t seek healthcare as well as others do,” he said. “It can be right there but they don’t necessarily seek healthcare. There are some distrust and fear of doctors and they don’t seek the prevention until the later stages.”
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“This type of health fair tries to overcome those issues and build trust in our communities,” he said.
NAACP Springfield Unit President Denise Williams said she believes there is a distrust between the black population in Springfield and local doctors. But she wants to use her organization to bring the groups together so everyone can be served equally.
“I am here to bring that understanding,” she said. “I will do whatever I need to do. I am calling on all doctors, you got questions, come in or I will visit you. We need all the doctors on the same page. I want to encourage all the doctors in this city to let me talk to them.
“The NAACP is not here to beat you, we are here to help you,” she said. “We need all the physicians to come together to support us and make this happen.”
HOW TO GO
What: NAACP Minority Health Fair
Where: Lincoln Elementary School, 1500 Tibbetts Ave.
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 27
Admission: Free
The Springfield News-Sun is committed to covering important issues, including healthcare, in the city of Springfield, Clark and Champaign counties.
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