Midsouth Summit Black Expo Provides Health Screenings

By Ashley McNatt

The expo, presented by UAMS, brought together a community of entertainers, health institutions, businesses and other organizations to celebrate Black History Month.

The UAMS MammoVan mobile mammography unit provided mammograms to those who qualified for services.

“Anytime we can get out and encourage the importance of screening, we are bettering the lives of those in our community. We ended up giving 20 people mammograms and that was a success,” said Michael Preston, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Medicine and co-director of Health Initiatives and Disparities Research at UAMS.

The UAMS Health Initiatives and Disparities Screening Program provided colorectal cancer and HPV education and distributed 39 take-home kits for colorectal cancer screening.

“Our hope is for everyone to ask their doctor when they should be screened for diseases like cancer because screening saves lives,” said Preston.

Other activities at the expo included offering high school students the opportunity to participate in a free ACT Introductory prep course. In partnership with KARK-TV and Fox 16, the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission presented a “Victory Over Violence” talk and performance and former commissioner Lupe Pena De Martinez spoke about losing her father earlier this year in a fatal shooting. She urged attendees to overcome violence in her call to action.

Attendees also heard presentations about overcoming violence from Fox16 News Director Austin Kellerman, Dr. John Miller of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the Little Rock NAACP and performances by Parkview Arts Magnet Marching Band, Mabelvale Drum and Groove Ensemble, and McClellan High School DECA Club.

Other events at the expo included a dance competition, poetry reading, comedy, fashion show and hair show.