With financial pressures and worries about substandard care for marginalized people, not all Austinites are up-to-date on their yearly health check-ups. Austin Public Health (APH) Health Equity Unit is stepping in to create a lower barrier of entry on Take a Loved One for a Check Up Day, which will take place Saturday, June 28.
Everyone is invited to participate in the awareness day anywhere in Austin. There will also be an event at the ACC Eastview Campus Auditorium from 11 am to 2 pm. Patients will need to plan ahead to ensure they can participate in the offers below.
The event is entirely free and includes health screenings, including blood sugar and cholesterol checks. APH asks patients not to eat for eight hours before a cholesterol test, or two hours before a blood sugar test. There will also be limited vaccinations, but the city news release does not list which vaccines will be available. CultureMap has reached out to APH for clarification.
It's not all serious business at the auditorium event, which will also include live entertainment and door prizes.
For those marking the occasion elsewhere in the city, APH encourages them to:
- Visit a health professional
- Make an appointment to visit
- Attend a community health event
- Help anyone else participate
“Regular health visits can put you on the right path to a healthier life, and serve as early detection for conditions and diseases, but we see too many of our friends and loved ones skipping their yearly check-ups,” said APH director Adrienne Sturrup in the release. “With Take a Loved One we're bringing together education and resources to help the community understand the need for these screenings and start the habit of getting regular check-ups and preventative care.”
APH is aware of significant disparities in health outcomes between Black and white residents, as well as other demographics.
In the organization's 2023 Critical Health Indicators Report, it found that Black residents' heart disease mortality rate was 50 percent higher than that of white residents; plus, Black residents' cancer mortality rates were 34 percent higher. Black and Hispanic residents also faced nearly twice the likelihood to be diagnosed with diabetes, and Black individuals were nearly three times more likely to die from diabetes-related complications.
The release also cites higher rates of suffering and death among racial and ethnic minorities due to stroke, HIV/ AIDS, and infant mortality, all of which are often preventable.
That's why the annual event focuses on improving relationships with African American, Hispanic, and other marginalized groups. Other events including vaccine clinics and information fairs can be found at austintexas.gov.
