Black Family Health Expo

The first annual Black Family Health Expo was held on March 18 at the historic St. Philips Episcopal Church in Richmond.  The event was sponsored by The Links Incorporated, an organization of African American women founded in 1946.  Links members are devoted to strengthening African American communities through fund raising, education, advocacy and volunteering.  It is the largest nationwide organization of Black women in the United States.

The cornerstone of Links Inc. services is its five programming facets—services to youth, the arts, national trends and services, international trends and services and health and human services.  Through the facets, the organization implements programs and initiatives that address the most critical needs of underserved communities.  The expo fit neatly into the area of health and human services.

Participating companies included the Massey Cancer Center, which provided an inflatable walk-though colon to explain the colonoscopy process. The American Diabetes Association, Charles City Medical Group, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, HCA Hospitals and Richmond City Health District also offered information and services including free COVID vaccines, blood pressure checks, CPR instructions, advice on lowering sugar intake and diabetes management. Other companies, such as Commonshare and AW Smith Financial, offered information and resources to help build financial health or services that assist older people in navigating Social Security.

Commonwealth Virginia Chapter President Gwen Walker McCorvey said, “this is the first Links nationwide supported event, but it won’t be the last and we look forward to the next Black Family Health Expo.”