Some 200 men recently attended the 12th Annual Men’s Health Fair on the South Side where they received free screenings for such things as high blood pressure, HIV, prostate cancer and diabetes.
The fair was held at Provident Hospital of Cook County, 500 E. 51st St., to provide medical treatment, advice and counseling to men who often do not see a doctor unless they’re sick, said Dr. Terry Mason, commissioner for the Chicago Department of Public Health.
“Men do not make it a habit of seeing a doctor unless something is wrong. And Black men in particular have a tendency not to get regular checkups,” Mason told the Defender. “That’s why health fairs are important because it provides vital information while at the same time helping people even if they don’t know it.”
Hospital officials pointed to a lack of insurance as a big reason men don’t regularly go to the doctor.
“One reason why so many men do not get annual physicals is because they are uninsured and do not want to come to county health facilities where the wait time can be long,” said Sidney Thomas, chief operating officer of Provident Hospital.
At Provident, the average wait time to see a doctor is six to eight hours, Thomas said.
“Obviously, we are not proud of that fact, but it is what it is,” he told the Defender. “But people need to understand that how soon you see a doctor at Provident and almost every hospital is based on your medical need and not what time you arrive. Every hospital is stretched these days, and Provident is no different.”
Spencer Walls, 58, is one of those uninsured patients who do not see a doctor annually or like going to the county hospitals.
“I don’t have health insurance and I cannot stand long periods of time so it is hard for me to travel,” he said. “People need to understand that with seniors, a lot of the time, we do not have cars and cannot do a lot of walking or standing. I came out to the fair because I had transportation and because I have not been feeling well lately.”
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