HEAAL Community Health Fair



On June 9th, 2018 the Dept. of Psychiatry organized a Health Fair in collaboration with Christ Jubilee International Ministries, a church in Lowell, MA as part of the HEAAL Program (Health and Mental Health Education and Awareness for Africans in Lowell). The focus of the health fair was mind-body-spirit wellness. We were joined by Chaplain Sam Lowe from the BMC Chaplains program, Robbie Adams from the BMC Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights, and Drs. Henderson, Borba, Valentine and Durham who engaged with health fair attendees in discussions around mental health and care.The fair included a talk by keynote speaker Jennifer Shuart, RN, Director of Behavioral Health for the Lowell Community Health Center, as well as a session on mindfulness and mindful movements, led by Rana Chudnofsky, Director of the Resilient Youth program at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at MGH. Local community organizations in attendance included the Lowell Community Health Center, Africans for Improved Access (AFIA), the Multicultural AIDS Coalition, SHINE (Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone) and Victory Human Services. We were also joined by ten BUSM medical students who did blood pressure and glucose screenings for health fair attendees. Through their efforts, we were able to identify community members with undiagnosed hypertension and connect them with local healthcare services. We look forward to making this an annual event! For more information about the HEAAL Program, please contact Global Programs Manager, Senait.Ghebrehiwet@bmc.org.