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Information Is Power When It Comes to Health

By Richard Muhammad on Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Woodlawn residents will have the opportunity to undergo kidney screening July 26 thanks to the NCP Woodlawn Health and Human Services Committee. The screenings will run from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Jackson Parkside Apartments, located at 6040 S. Harper Avenue.

The screening is another example of how a small but determined group of neighborhood residents and stakeholders leverage relationships to promote health education and provide access to health services.

“We know that kidney disease is very prevalent among African-Americans. We know that African-Americans have high blood pressure. They have diabetes and these are the forerunners to kidney disease, especially when they go untreated, which is often the case,” said Annie R. Pope, who has lived in Woodlawn for 13 years. Pope and Joyce Nimocks, who has lived in Woodlawn for 38 years, are leading the committee.

Whether the screenings and information sessions are in senior buildings, apartments managed by The Woodlawn Organization or the Bessie Coleman Library, the old adage information is power takes new meaning as the women say literally thousands of dollars worth of services have been delivered.

“We’ve been able to bring quality services to the Woodlawn community as a result of this committee and as a result of the committee’s ability to partner with significant experts and resources,” said Pope.

A kidney screening early this year provided about $1,000 worth of medical work per person and 43 to 47 people participated in the session. That comes out to $43,000-$47,000 worth of services, Pope said. The health committee works with the American Kidney Fund’s MIKE (Minority Intervention Kidney Education) initiative to provide kidney screenings.

The extensive screening includes a urinalysis, blood pressure check and blood tests are used for 30 different health values, Nimocks explained. The tests cover things like cholesterol levels, levels of iron and liver function, she said. Screening participants are also told how to handle health issues that surface. Best of all, when an official looking, post-screening package arrives, the information inside is easy to understand, Nimocks continued.

The screening and tests results are so thorough that after Nimocks participated in a screening, her personal physician canceled annual blood work and simply put the screening results in her medical file.

What drives the group? “I think the impetus is the recognition that there is such a disparity in terms of health issues for African-Americans,” said Pope. “We just believe that if we are better informed about health care issues and how to manage ourselves, hopefully it will lead to a better outcome.”

The group’s work is shaped by community health issues and partners assist in areas of concern or provide facilities, the women explained. Feedback comes directly from participants and through interaction at neighborhood meetings. None of the Quality-of-Life Plan features can be accessed if residents are sickly or dying prematurely, they added.

“This is especially a benefit for those who don’t have health insurance,” Pope noted.

The committee has created an “Ask The Doctor” forum, which allows residents to write questions down for Dr. Thomas Fisher, of the University of Chicago. After an initial round of anonymous questions, the audience asks follow ups. The health committee showed a documentary about urban health issues and had Dr. Fisher lead a discussion and answer questions. The group will soon plot out the “Ask the Doctor” schedule for next year. Dr. Fisher is also affiliated with Community Solutions In Action.

A seminar on DNA and its relationship to health issues will be presented by Dr. Rick Kittles, PhD., an associate professor of genetic medicine at the University of Chicago Cancer Center, Saturday, August 23, 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., at the Bessie Coleman Library. A diabetes screening to be conducted by University of Chicago medical students at 6250 S. Park Shore Ave. at the Park Shore Apartments is slated for August. 

The current health committee is about a year and a half old, but Pope and Nimocks have been part of the NCP process for five years. Another key committee member is Carol Phillips, a TWO building manager at 6052 S. Harper Ave., Smith-Blair Building senior housing, who has opened her doors for screenings and meetings. TWO’s Ingrid Silmon and Myra Johnson Nash, Patricia Tatum Smith, R.N., Violet Johnson and University of Chicago medical employees Dawnavan Davis and Susan Peters round out the group.

“We’re a small committee trying to do big things,” said Nimocks.