MetroHealth brings free health fair to CH April 28

Charles Modlin, M.D.

The MetroHealth System’s Minority Men’s Health Fair is coming to Cleveland Heights. The free event, featuring health screenings and information, will be held on Thursday, April 28, 5–8:30 p.m., at MetroHealth Cleveland Heights Medical Center at 10 Severance Circle.

Although the word “minority” is part of the name, MetroHealth’s event is fully inclusive. Men from all racial and ethnic backgrounds can take advantage of more than 30 free health screenings and health examinations, for prostate cancer, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and dozens of other conditions and illnesses. Women are also invited to attend and access health screenings.

MetroHealth physicians and specialists will be on hand to answer questions during the health fair. Prescription medication assistance, health education and patient navigation services also will be available.

Visit www.metrohealth.org/mmhf to register in advance to attend. Walk-ins will be welcome the day of the event, but attendees are encouraged to register to ensure access to health screenings. Those who want to volunteer, or apply to become an event exhibitor at no cost, can visit the Web page for information.  

Charles Modlin, M.D., conceived the idea of a free health fair for minority men nearly 20 years ago. “I wanted to do my part to help eliminate health disparities—that is, the higher incidences of disease and poorer health outcomes among different groups of people,” said Modlin, medical director of the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity at MetroHealth.

“As a urologist and kidney transplant surgeon,” he noted, “I’ve seen first-hand the devastating effects that happen when Black and other minority men don’t have early access to health care.”

Modlin founded the Minority Men’s Health Fair while working at Cleveland Clinic. After working there almost 28 years, Modlin left to join MetroHealth in September 2021. He sees patients at MetroHealth’s Cleveland Heights Medical Center and Lyndhurst Health Center.

“My role allows me to take an active part in MetroHealth’s recruitment of diverse medical staff and in helping to shape MetroHealth’s first Minority Men’s Health Fair,” Modlin said. “During my career as a physician, I’ve been honored to play a part in helping men take charge of their own health care. Never has the need for accessible preventive screenings and other health services been more critically important than they are today.”

“Our work doesn’t stop when the health fair is over,” Modlin added. “Our goal is to make it easier for patients and their families to access quality and culturally competent health care. 

“Black and Hispanic individuals are among the minority groups who are most often afflicted and burdened by a multitude of health disparities. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Early detection and prevention of many of these conditions is the key to saving lives and improving the quality of life for those most commonly impacted by health disparities.”

A concurrent Minority Men’s Health Fair will be held at the MetroHealth Broadway Health Center and its Main Campus Outpatient Pavilion.

Angela Townsend

Angela Townsend is a senior writer in the department of marketing and communications at The MetroHealth System.

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Volume 15, Issue 4, Posted 9:28 AM, 03.29.2022