Albany NAACP puts spotlight on health with expo
ALBANY — The Albany branch of the NAACP arranged a health and fitness expo at the Empire Condition Plaza Concourse on Saturday to share information and facts and place a highlight on the great importance of health and wellness for Black and brown communities.
“Having this good is an opportunity for us to have unique applications and teams that are in the local community, offered to the neighborhood to be in this article and share details on how to consider care of ourselves … and are living a longer, much healthier lifetime,” mentioned Debora Brown-Johnson, president of the Albany NAACP.
The Albany NAACP partnered with above 20 companies and sellers to take aspect in the party from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. When Saturday’s forecast was for temperatures in the minimal 90s, the celebration, at first scheduled to get area outdoors on the plaza, was moved indoors.
Gwen Pope, very first vice president of the Albany NAACP, expressed the relevance of connecting with the Black and brown communities about health and wellness, specifically simply because of disparities in obtain to treatment, which have been highlighted in the course of the pandemic.
“People of shade have had many years of wellbeing disparities,” Pope explained. “We decided that due to the fact so lots of overall health troubles have been discovered as a end result of individuals becoming diagnosed with coronavirus, we required to do some thing to make the community far more knowledgeable of these disparities and how their overall health can be managed.”
The expo also had a lineup of speakers from every group to share info about their operate and how local community users and fellow organizations can be associated.
“This neighborhood celebration and partnership with the NAACP is definitely superior for us to link with other businesses and to try to improve the wellbeing of the local community,” explained Judy Rightmyer, director of Cash District Tobacco-Absolutely free Communities, an function sponsor alongside with Spectrum, MVP, CAP COM Federal Credit score Union and the Funds District YMCA.
County Govt Daniel P. McCoy also attended the wellness expo to demonstrate guidance and get perception on how elected officers can greater support minority-owned smaller businesses and nonprofit corporations in Albany.
“It’s quite important to be below to assist businesses, emphasize the Black and brown local community, and exhibit people today the excellent organizations we have below in the metropolis of Albany and the complete Cash District,” McCoy stated.
Customers of the Albany NAACP hope that Saturday’s wellbeing expo, like those it has introduced in the previous, helped members of the Albany local community attain new information from the businesses and sellers to boost greater wellness.
“I hope that individuals go away right here with some info that they did not have just before and share it with their mates and families,” explained Brown-Johnson “We believe data is ability, so when you get it then you can make your very own educated conclusion.”