BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A big health event is coming to Baton Rouge this fall.
According to the Louisiana Healthcare Landscape, 28% of Black residents in the state reported being in fair or poor health compared to 19% of those who identify as white and 14% of those who identify as Hispanic. Officials said the Big Health event mission is to change those numbers.
“Even if you have access to healthcare, it would take you a year, literally 12 months to schedule all of the appointments and all of the screenings that you would want to get, that would all be in one place,” said Judy Morse, President and CEO of the Urban League of Louisiana.
The Big Health Event is one of the multiple health strategies being advanced by Ochsner Health to improve healthcare access to advance health equity and better health outcomes among African American families in Baton Rouge and across Louisiana.
“Our African American Population actually suffers a whole lot more and has a greater number of health issues within those communities. So, one of the things that we prioritized in order to improve the health rankings of the state and how it performs is to focus efforts on those areas where the needs are greatest,” said Dr. Yvens Laborde, Medical Director for Border Health & Public Health at Ochsner.
Morse said people planning to attend can expect to have screenings, healthy eating demos, and a kids’ movement zone.
“We’ll have a movement for adults. We’re going to have candid conversations that really speak about the issues that we are all having to think about and deal with as we consider our health and wellness., “said Morse.
Officials said the initiative wouldn’t be possible without the city’s community, government, and media stakeholders. The Big Health event kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at the Raising Cane’s River Center until 4 p.m.