Striking at barriers to men's health

Lab technician Abby Omor prepared Pastor Gerald Bell's arm for a blood test during the Men's Health Summit. (Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

The news sounds bleak: Cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are among the leading causes of death for men, particularly black men. But there is good news: Those woes can be prevented by checkups and early detection.

That was the message at the Men's Health Summit on June 7 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, where men of all ages braved the heat and flocked to the Roxbury facility for free health screenings, performances, meals, and bagfuls of information on how to navigate the state's changing healthcare system.

They came in droves, some with kids in tow, others with their wives or in groups of friends.

Along with a meal, they were given information on access, cost, and treatment.

They were treated to performances and speeches as well as vision, HIV, and prostate cancer screenings.

"A lot of us can't afford health insurance," said Pablo Gonzalez, 46, of Jamaica Plain, "so to get the free screenings, this is great for us."

Frederica Williams is president and chief executive of Whittier Street Health Center, which sponsored the summit during National Men's Health Month and a week before Father's Day. She said the center is working to shatter barriers - such as cost, time, distrust, and discomfort - that have kept black and Hispanic men away from the healthcare system for too long. Whittier touts its men's health program as one of a kind in New England.

"Many black and Hispanic men have no health insurance and no primary care physician," said Williams at the summit.

"They are more likely to seek out medical attention in hospital emergency rooms." And overuse of emergency rooms, panelists said, helps drive up healthcare costs.

She said that as the racial demographic changed across America in the past 30 years, "the glaring disparity in healthcare between white Americans and Americans of color, especially black and Hispanic men, has become an increasingly important issue."

She also points to violence as a health issue, stressing that "the trauma of witnesses, the pressure of knowing what is out there, and the fact that you can be hurt or killed are all threats to our community."

At the summit, panelists tried to dispel myths and provide answers to the public on the state's mandatory healthcare law.

"It's well-documented that the lack of health insurance is a serious barrier to accessing healthcare," said David C. Dodson, a doctor who practices at the Whittier Street Health Center, in the panel discussion. "That's uniquely an American problem, and it's uniquely an American disgrace."