‘March Man-ness’ Scores for Men’s Health

By Spencer Watson

 Pharmacy student Christine Watkins checks Jason Bradley’s blood pressure.
(From left) Pharmacy student Erica Cisler, nursing student Brynna Lynch and pharmacy student Julia New conduct a health screening on Darnell Rice.

Jake Smith, a medical student who leads the 12th Street center’s student board of directors, prepares for a TV interview about March Man-ness.

The event was held at Saint Mark Baptist Church in Little Rock. The screenings total nearly doubled the amount from last year’s inaugural event, also held at Saint Mark. Themed around the ongoing college basketball championship tournaments, the event was to raise awareness for men’s health issues in the 12th Street neighborhood served by the student-led 12th Street Health & Wellness Center.

“We’re very pleased with the turnout and support from the neighborhood,” said Melissa Clark, PharmD. “We were glad to offer the health screenings as a way to promote a focus on health and wellness — but we also were able to give participants health information and advice to follow up with a physician on potential problems.”

While the event focused on men’s health, women also were invited to receive the free blood pressure checks, body mass index estimates, glucose and cholesterol screenings, and physical examinations during the event. In addition, participants had access to free HIV testing using a mouth swab. Men also could have blood drawn to check testosterone levels and prostate sensitive antigen (PSA) for prostate cancer screenings.

A panel of health care professionals, pharmacists and physicians was available to answer health questions.

Based on the screenings, some participants received a recommendation to see their physician for a more thorough exam. Several made appointments to come to the 12th Street center for a follow up exam.

Jason Bradley, a church member, participated in the screenings.

“A friend lost his battle with cancer recently, so health has been on my mind,” he said. “I’m glad to have this opportunity to get a quick check up.”

Jake Smith, a UAMS medical student who leads the 12th Street center’s student board of directors, noted that with some health issues such as high blood pressure or even prostate cancer, the early symptoms may be subtle.

“Someone may think they feel fine but there may be silent symptoms they are missing,” he said. “So we’re glad to be able to host an event like this to promote health and wellness.”

There were 57 UAMS students who volunteered to conduct the wellness screenings and help run the event. All five UAMS colleges and the Graduate School were represented.

Ammon Martin, a third-year pharmacy student from Conway, was one of the students staffing the screenings. “It has been a good opportunity to practice my skills with patients while also giving back to the community,” he said.

The event included food, activities and some fun, too. A big screen showed replays of men’s college basketball games from the previous night’s tournament action. Many in attendance compared their picks in the tournament and talked about which team they thought would win it all.

Gong Weng, a second-year medical student from El Dorado who received his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame hoped his alma mater’s team might upset the tournament favorite from the University of Kentucky that night.

In addition to Saint Mark Baptist Church and UAMS, the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, Jefferson Comprehensive Care System Inc., Arkansas Urology and 103.7 The Buzz provided supplies and services for the event. Epoch Health conducted the testosterone and PSA testing.

The 12th Street Health & Wellness Center is a community-based, interprofessional, free clinic run by students under supervision of faculty and other licensed volunteers. It provides students from the UAMS Colleges of Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and the Graduate School an avenue to learn about, from and with each other. The center focuses on education, prevention and management of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.  It also provides information about healthy living, preventive care, consultations and screenings for residents of the Little Rock Promise Neighborhood and surrounding areas.