Residents, medical professionals, local leaders and even celebrated athletes gathered for the second annual Prince George’s County Health and Wellness Expo on Oct. 4, working to combat health disparities through offering free screenings, fitness demonstrations, groceries, resources and more.
With tools to help the mind, body and soul, the event, held at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex on Saturday, aimed to encourage residents to take proactive steps toward long-term wellness.
“We’re here today to make sure that we bring healthcare to the community,” Del. Tiffany Alston told The Informer. “For far too long, our community has lacked resources. We don’t have enough primary care providers. We don’t have enough specialty providers. So today you can come out and for free, get access to quality health care.”
While scrolling through social media, Pastor Tammy Burton learned about the event and made it a priority to be in attendance.
“I wanted to see what was available here and what was being offered,” Burton, a Prince George’s County resident, told The Informer. “Health and wellness as a woman is so important because of the role that we play in society and the role that we play with our families.”
Highlighting Women’s Health
Burton was not the only person present emphasizing the importance of women’s health during the second annual expo.
Four-time WNBA champion and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Sheryl Swoopes partnered with Radnet, a national network of outpatient medical imaging centers, after having an up close look at the health challenges Black women face.
“Personally, my family’s been affected by many different types of cancer,” Swoopes said. “Health is wealth, make sure you’re focusing on you so that you can be able to take care of your family.”
Radnet is dedicated to making advanced imaging more accessible and affordable outside of hospital settings — especially for preventive screenings like mammograms and early cancer detection. As an athlete who has watched family members battle health crises, Swoopes has become a major advocate for screenings and prioritizing wellness overall.
“When I was playing, I understood the importance of taking care of my health, but I had other people around that would make sure that I was doing that,” she told The Informer. “Now, as a former player, I [understand] the importance of making sure you’re getting your screenings, [and your] mammograms.”
Black women are at higher risk for breast cancer, and have the highest breast cancer mortality rate of any other U.S. racial or ethnic group – at 40%.
Similarly to Swoopes, Alston was inspired to promote health and wellness in Prince George’s after watching the women in her life experience health hardships.
“I don’t want to see another person die like my aunts did because of a very preventable disease,” she told the Informer. “[One] died from breast cancer because she didn’t get it detected soon enough. [The other] from kidney cancer, because she wasn’t going to the doctor once she found out.”
‘Screenings Save Lives’: The Importance of Being Proactive
For Swoopes and the people at Radnet, helping people to find the courage to get screened is one of the first big steps in taking charge of one’s health.
“Many times it’s the fear of the unknown that makes us [not want to] find out,” said Swoopes.
However, Swoopes and Radnet were at the Prince George’s Health and Wellness Expo, ecstatic to provide services for residents in the region.
“We couldn’t be happier to be out here supporting the community,” Steve Forthuber, president of Radnet, told The Informer. “We can’t necessarily cure cancer, but what we can do is diagnose it at its earliest stages where it is most curable so that people can lead better lives [while reducing] the overall cost of care.”
Radnet staffer Cliffondra Brown also stressed the importance of screenings, during the Saturday expo.
“Screenings save lives,” Brown told The Informer. “When you go early and get your screening, the outcomes are so much better, so I think it’s worth it for anyone to come out.”