A retooled Minority Men's Health Fair debuts at MetroHealth next week

When Dr. Charles Modlin hosted the first Minority Men’s Health Fair in 2003, he thought it was a success when 35 men showed up for free health screenings.

In 2020, the last year the Fair was held, there were more than 2000 attendees.

Unquestionably, the Minority Men’s Health Fair established itself as a signal event in Cleveland’s black community during its 17-year run before COVID enforced a two-year hiatus.

When the Fair returns next week, it will be in new garb and in new locations, owing to Modlin’s move from the Cleveland Clinic, where he had been for a quarter century, to the MetroHealth System.

MetroHealth Systems Main Campus, Outpatient Pavilion

This year’s Fair will take place in three new locations: the main MetroHealth campus and two satellites. All three locations will offer a wide array of free services, from physical exams and blood work to prostate exams and COVID vaccinations.

Roughly 500 volunteers — primary care physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, and more — will be on hand at the three sites to deliver all manner of health screenings. Private consultation rooms will be available for the comfort of those who may wish to speak with mental health professionals.

The Fair takes place Thursday, April 27 from 5:30p-8:30p at the following locations:

  • MetroHealth Main Campus Outpatient Pavilion, 2500 MetroHealth Drive [44109]
  • Cleveland Heights Medical Center, 10 Severance Circle [44118]
  • Broadway Health Center, 6835 Broadway Avenue [44105].

MetroHealth officials stress that the Health Fair is open to all men, notwithstanding its name. Proof of identity or health coverage are not required for screening. Registration is encouraged to cut down potential wait time and so that some results may be forwarded following the event.

In a news conference yesterday, Modlin underscored the responsibility he feels towards addressing the health inequities that affect our society. Referencing projections that people of color will soon comprise a majority of Americans, Modlin said the country would face enormous challenges if it did not significantly reduce health disparities within the population. But he made clear in his remarks that his support of the health fair was not simply a matter of self-interest, but part of a personal and professional mission that he and MetroHealth shared.

MetroHealth began planning for this year’s event upon his arrival eight months ago, Modlin said. In addition to the volunteers, there may be as many as 100 health vendors at the three sites.

The Minority Men's Health Fair will offer minority men the opportunity to take advantage of more than 30 free health screenings across a variety of services including:

  • Dermatology/Skin
  • Dental
  • Ear, Nose and Throat
  • Vision
  • Lung Health
  • Diabetes
  • Peripheral Vascular and Carotid Artery Health
  • Vitamin D and Bone Health
  • Blood pressure
  • Blood Work: PSA level, diabetes, kidney function, HIV, Hepatitis A and/or B, cholesterol, Vitamin D, etc.
  • Neurology: Balance and Memory testing
  • Podiatry
  • Urology and Prostate Exams
  • Physical Therapy
  • Respiratory Therapy
  • Mental Health: Stress, Depression, and Anxiety
  • Strength Testing
  • Social Determinants of Health Assessments
  • Physical Examinations
  • Low Dose CT Lung Cancer Screenings
  • Covid-19 vaccines

 

MetroHealth Medical Center in Severance Circle, Cleveland Heights

Acknowledging that women play a leading role in family health care decisions, Modlin half-jokingly suggested that women with men in their lives who are insufficiently attentive to their health care, get their spouses, significant others, brothers, sons, uncles, etc. in the car and without sharing the destination, drop them off at one of the three fair locations.

To register in advance for the fair, click here.

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