Health fair set Saturday on city’s South Side

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The 6th Ward Citizens Coalition and Taft Promise Neighborhood will offer “A Healthier You” health fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Metro Assembly Church, 2530 South Ave.

The event will feature free health food, giveaways, prizes, a dental van, Zumba, kids fitness, face painting, a bounce around, carnival games and other attractions.

Mercy Health will conduct health screenings for guests, including for cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides. Individuals will be urged to make healthful choices based on the results. A blood-pressure screening also will be offered for participants who fast 12 hours before the test.

Event participants include Mercy Health, Hospice of the Valley, Akron Children’s Hospital, Meridian Services, Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic, Compass, Youngstown City Health District and Office on Minority Health, African American Male Wellness Walk, Access Health, Molina Healthcare and more.

The event is a part of the 6WCC’s Community Mobilization Series, designed to encourage community engagement in various neighborhoods of the ward.

Officials from 6WCC attest that healthy living is especially important on the city’s South Side, where many residents live in what is considered a food desert, or an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. Through the event, the groups aim to provide resources to improve diet, fitness, wellness and health care options as well as focus on minority health issues.

The event is free. For information, contact 6WCC at 330-423-4236. The health fair is sponsored in part by a Wean Foundation Neighborhood Success and Leadership Grant.