I spent Easter with friends in Las Vegas, caught a red-eye flight to Chicago, and almost missed my connecting flight to Detroit!  I scurried quickly enough to make it just before the gate was closed...

4/13

After a quick nap, I attended a colon cancer workshop presented by Dr. Sype sponsored by CareNet at The Pharmacy Counter.  She was able to present technical information in a way for us to all understand.  She gave statistics that allowed participants to see the disparities, especially among African-Americans. 

4/15

The Toledo Journal Published an article about the Minority Health Program.  I hope you were all able to check it out.  If not you can view it online:

http://www.thetoledojournal.com/News/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=95729&sID=20

CareNet in collaboration with ProMedica put on a wonderful food demonstration event at the Aurora Gonzales Community Center.  A sensible snack mix, fruit salad, garbanzo bean salad, and black eyed pea salad were some of the features.  The recipes were easy to make, involved few inexpensive ingredients, and most importantly, were full of flavor.  I enjoyed how the dietician from ProMedica allowed participants to assist in preparing the recipes...

4/16

The Commission meetings are expanding, it is a blessing and a testament to the group's hard work over the past several months.  Doni Miller presented about Neighborhood Health Association and then allowed members of her staff to educate and inform the Commission on their respective projects.  Jan Ruma gave a compelling story about the CareNet program, especially the statistics near the end that was reflective of the work we do around the Commission table...I look forward to continued collaborations in the future with both of these fine organizations. 

4/17

I had a wonderful radio interview with Larry Whatley of WIMX The Mix- the interview aired on 4/19 at 6:00am.  Of course no interview is complete without a shameless plug; I informed viewers of all events coming up during the week of 4/20. 

4/19

By the end of this day- I was left refreshed, inspired, and excited about endless networking and collaborative opportunities...

I woke up early Saturday morning and at 9:15 or so I headed over to the Korean Church to attend the Chinese Association of Greater Toledo's sponsored Asian Health Fair event.  The space was user-friendly and featured Cholesterol, Glucose, and Body-Mass-Index Screenings.  I had just missed the initial rush of people who fasted was came in the door at 9 when the doors opened!  There was a Tai Chi workshop and demonstration, 2 physicians on board, and medical students from the University of Toledo Medical Center.  By the end of my visit, I made some very important contacts and had the opportunity to listen to the issues that concerned this community. This was such a refreshing event!

At 11:15 I whisked across town to Warren AME Church for their annual health fair.  I was overwhelmed at how packed the place was...Outside the building were exhibits for children, exercise demonstrations, music presentations, and a wonderful ballroom dancing demonstration.  Inside was overflowing with exhibits from many agencies, screenings, and people!  The lunch was healthy and needed after walking around all morning.  Thanks for the generous hospitality!

In the afternoon, I headed over to Sanger Library for the ProMedica sponsored Steppin' Up! social event.  There was a social urban ballroom dancing group giving demonstrations- these men and women were so talented on the dance floor.  For the 4th time in 2 weeks, I ran into Caroline of Reality Plaza- otherwise known as Miss Hula Hoop.  There was a hula hoop endurance contest that proved to be quite fun...in the end, a gentleman from the dance group outlasted the hula hoop queen herself!  Assessments, nice music, healthy snacks, and a very intimate setting at the library...such a creative, inspiring event!

What does the week of 4/20 hold?  Only time, situation, and opportunity will tell!

In health,
Duane