This Summer, Akua Obeng attended a Black Health and Wellness Initiative (BHWI) wellness clinic in Brampton at City Hall. She attended following prompting from her sister, BHWI project lead, Maame Obeng.
Akua had attended for leisure, with no real issues she wanted addressed. She went to support her community and participate in something new for her Saturday morning.
“Anything that says Black people, I want to go,” she said.
“ I saw young Black doctors and that made me happy. I get excited every time I see a professional that looks like me.”
Randomly she had her blood pressure taken at the Dynacare booth during the event. She also took a blood test. She found out that her blood pressure was high that day, which was odd for her as she normally deals with low blood pressure.
“That was concerning to me,” she said.
Later in the week she got a call from Dynacare sharing some information she knew, but the call raised her awareness about some worrying symptoms she needed to look at.
Six months prior to the event, she had been to the doctor for related issues, and was awaiting a specialist. Her coincidental attendance at the wellness clinic revealed abnormal blood pressure that sparked her curiosity and concern.
“When I got the call from the Dynacare doctor, it confirmed that I needed to contact my family doctor and push to get some solutions for what was happening with me,” she said.
As a result of that push, Akua was able to not only hear from her physician, but expedite the process to seeing the specialist who could address her needs.
“ Now I’m on a treatment plan, and I’m actually doing well. So that event and those services were great… I probably wouldn’t have followed up with my doctor to see the specialist had I not gotten back those results.”
The Black Health and Wellness Initiative events create opportunities for community to connect, and also for community members to feel safe, seen, and supported enough to not only seek health care support, but take their health concerns into their own hands, and ultimately, improve their health experiences and outcomes.
