Gregory Perkins' bond with his church in Middletown, Conn., may have saved his life.
Perkins, who works for a temp agency and has no health insurance, learned that his blood pressure was dangerously high when he attended a men's health forum at Cross Street AME Zion Church. He now has medicine, a primary care clinic and applications pending for health insurance. His blood pressure has come down.
Perkins, 53, is one of more than 800 black men who have undergone health screenings through the Curtis D. Robinson Men's Health Institute at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Conn., near Middletown. The institute holds health forums primarily at churches in order to reach men who, like Perkins, don't usually get regular health screenings or seek routine preventative care.
The program is named for Curtis D. Robinson, a construction manager and one of Connecticut's most successful black businessmen. Robinson, a prostate cancer survivor who was treated at Saint Francis Hospital, pledged $1 million to the hospital to spread the word in the black community about the importance of early detection of prostate cancer. In addition to Robinson's lead gift in 2010, the institute is funded through grants, philanthropy and proceeds from an annual golf tournament.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of prostate cancer is higher among black people than any other race or ethnicity. Black men are also the most likely to die of the disease — lack of early detection is a significant factor contributing to that disparity in outcomes.
The institute's seven-member staff and assisting medical personnel have held more than 50 forums, most of them at churches. They offer prostate tests and basic health checkups.
Rev. Marcus McKinney, vice president of community health equity and health policy at Saint Francis Hospital, made the institute's first contacts with pastors of black congregations in the greater Hartford area. Rev. McKinney, a Southern Baptist, oversees the institute for the hospital.
The staff goes where men congregate, including barbershops, a public library and a homeless center. Michelle Safo-Agyeman, outreach coordinator for the institute, said church outreach has proven to be the most direct and successful method of reaching the target population. Pastors and church elders help drive attendance.
Building on trust
Perkins said he attended the health forum because it was held at Cross Street church, where he is on the board of ushers. He also was eager to hear Robinson, who speaks at many of the institute's outreach events. "He's a man who made money and wants to help others," Perkins said of Robinson. "He's an amazing inspiration."
At the Cross Street church event, the pastor and other leaders agreed to be screened for prostate cancer and general health to encourage others to follow their example. "Men trust their pastor. If they see their pastor trusting us, then they think, 'We can trust them, too,'" said Safo-Agyeman.
Safo-Agyeman said that in addition to using ministers and church elders to get the word out about events, the institute uses public service announcements on television and radio, and posts flyers at bus stops, barbershops and other busy locations.
Perkins is grateful for that outreach effort.
"If you don't have health insurance, you don't get anything done," he said. "If something's wrong, you wait until it's too late. I had no idea I had high blood pressure. I believe this (knowledge) saved my life."
Care paths
Rev. Hank Waltmire, institute director, said that the institute advises participants at its forums to be screened for prostate cancer if they are at least 45 years old — five years younger than the standard recommendation. If a man's family history includes prostate cancer, he said, the institute urges him to be screened beginning at age 40.
Twenty-two of the 37 men who attended the session at Cross Street had screenings and checkups. Four men will receive follow-up treatment indicated by the results of their prostate tests.
Rev. Waltmire said the institute has screened more than 800 men for prostate cancer since the program began. Of those, 33 underwent biopsies and 24 are receiving cancer treatments at Saint Francis Hospital. Rev. Waltmire said the institute shares biopsy results with Tuskegee University in Alabama, which is engaged in a long-term study of black men and prostate cancer.
Another two dozen men, including Perkins, have received assistance for other medical issues. Rev. Waltmire said the institute offers basic checkups as well as prostate tests because its broader mission is to give more people access to health care. Medical personnel at the forums answer questions about health insurance and assist those eligible in applying for assistance through public or charitable programs. The institute arranges care through Saint Francis Hospital's primary care clinic, which is next to the institute's office.
"We are on a mission to help our brothers and sisters," Waltmire said. "If our community isn't healthy and well, the whole society suffers. We are building relationships and trying to get people into the health care system before it's too late for them."
Copyright © 2012 by the Catholic Health Association
of the United States
For reprint permission, contact Betty Crosby
or call (314) 253-3477.