Black families were the target audience of the inaugural Black Family Wellness Expo at Greater Bethel AME Church in southeast Gainesville.
The event held Saturday was hosted by the Gainesville chapter of The Links Inc. to promote healthy living in east Gainesville.
“It is important to make Black families understand the health issues they face and help them to combat those issues,” said Kim Nisbett, president of The Links locally, adding the healthy living campaign is a national initiative of the organization. “We were very proactive in bringing out medical professionals to check blood pressure, diabetes and provide mammograms so families can be in the know when it comes to their health.”
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The Links, founded in 1946, is one of the oldest and largest national volunteer service organizations of women committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.
The Gainesville chapter was founded in 1978 as the Females Organized for the Challenges of Unity and Self Awareness. The group was officially chartered as The Links in 1985.
Hopes are the expo become a catalyst for families to take their health seriously, Nisbitt said.
“I want them to leave here having a strategy to use these services to be healthier and have ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” Nisbett said.
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Nisbett first joined the group in New York 10 years ago after being invited to a meeting by a friend. She said she is proud to be “part of a forward-thinking women’s organization that really cares about the Black community.”
Vendors at the expo included the UF Health Cancer Center, UF Health Mobile Outreach Clinic, Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office, Mobile Stroke Treatment, Beautiful Gate, Juice Plus+, Tower Garden, Greater Gainesville Black Nurses Association, Heartland Dental, Complete Dental of Lake City, Family Podiatry and Deeply Rooted Midwifery LLC.
Nurses Concierge Services LLC will be hosting a 10-day health challenge to help people get on the right track towards wellness, said Wands Nichols, an official with the company.
The challenge consists of eating more plants daily, drinking water, getting seven to eight hours of sleep and exercising, Nichols said.
“Events like this are extremely important,” Nichols said. “I want to do everything in my power to combat the health disparities and provide nutrition to the community.”
Pamela Burnett, 63, president of Beautiful Gate, decided to create the organization to provide breast cancer resources to the community following her diagnosis at the age of 40.
“I turned my pain into purpose,” Burnett said.
She created Mammograms After Sunday Service (M.A.S.S.) to help women in underserved communities get their checkups.
The Florida Breast Cancer Foundation has sponsored M.A.S.S. since 2017, one year after the service was created, Burnett said.
“I go to the most rural communities throughout Florida,” Burnett said. “I believe churches have to come out of the walls. How can we serve if we’re only serving people inside?”
She hosts virtual support groups and webinars to help women battling breast cancer, Burnett said.
“I have a servant’s heart,” Burnett said. “I love the outreach and I love what I do. I remember I was that one. They (The Links) know I appreciate the community. Wherever they go, I go.”
