Aetna, EmblemHealth, Heart to Heart Home Care, Village Care Max and other health care organizations came together Saturday at St. Mary’s Park in Mott Haven to teach Bronxites about managing diabetes. Organized by Velazquez Consulting, the Diabetes Health Festival offered attendees free health screenings, cooking demonstrations and nutrition and exercise exhibitions.
Laura O’Connell, the senior community engagement manager at Village Care Max, said the organization has developed diabetes-focused programs to address the prevalence of the disease in the South Bronx. According to the New York State Department of Health, the Bronx had the highest rate of diabetes in 2018 out of the state’s 62 counties with 16%.
“Participating in this festival gives us an opportunity to educate and provide resources in the community … and help disparities and equities,” O’Connell said.
Village Care Max registered nurse Camille Edwards was also present at the festival. Edwards works as a clinical quality manager, a department that focuses on member education. She said her main focus is “ensuring that the public is well educated on the types of diabetes and how we help members manage it.”
The Village Care Max booth featured a spin-the-wheel activity to promote diabetes education where health care professionals could ask trivia questions that relate to important diabetes information. For example, O’Connell said one of the questions asked was how many teaspoons of sugar are in a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola — 10 teaspoons.
“We want people to understand that sugar is everywhere,” O’Connell said. “We just have to make sure that we are aware of sugar, what sugar is, where sugar is and how to avoid overeat(ing) sugar.”
The festival also featured a Kids Zone, which had activities for children provided by YMCA La Central, Bronxworks Betances Cornerstone and HealthCorps. Attendees could also learn about nutrition tips for people with diabetes through food…
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