- A Day of Dialogue on Minority Health connects rural residents with healthcare professionals and resources.
- Last year, 70% of attendees followed up with healthcare providers after the event.
- Watch the video to find out when and where the event is held.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Limited access, missing knowledge, and the power of community. I'm Lentheus Chaney, your Monticello neighborhood reporter, showing how A Day of Dialogue on Minority Health is helping rural neighbors take charge of their well-being.
For many rural residents, health issues often go unchecked—not because they don't care, but because resources are hard to find.
In fact, according to the Florida Department of Health’s 2022 report, less than 2% of Florida’s doctors practice in rural areas.
Organizers of A Day of Dialogue on Minority Health say the event was created to connect neighbors with doctors, mental health professionals, and vendors in one place.
But it’s more than a health fair. Dr. Jackie Robinson, the organization’s president, says it’s a movement to help people take control of their health, understand their risks, and find real solutions.
“What we do is bring together faith-based organizations and leaders, community leaders, community members, and researchers from universities—and just people in general—to talk about the health issues, particularly in under-served communities where people are living in general less healthy and with lower quality of life,” Robinson said.
The impact is already being felt. Last year, nearly 70% of attendees followed up with a healthcare provider, and 94% said they planned to change their habits because of what they learned.
Neighbor Donnell Davis owns C&E Marketplace, where he cooks up his favorite healthy dishes for the community. He attended last year’s Day of Dialogue and says the event really helped him get the answers he needed and feel empowered.
"That’s not gonna be me. So the Day of Dialogue gave me a new perspective on how I want to be. I walked away with how to take better care of myself—the things, the attributes of foods that cause a loss of minority people that we don’t pay attention to: high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol—that potentially give us strokes,” Davis said.
A Day of Dialogue on Minority Health takes place Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jefferson County K-12 School Cafeteria. In Jefferson County, Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
