Abstract
Racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender disparities in health and access to and use of health care services currently exist. Health professionals are continually striving to reduce and eliminate health disparities within their own community. One such effort in the area of Tampa Bay, Florida was the creation of the African American Men’s Health Forum, currently referred to as the Men’s Health Forum. The African American Men’s Health Forum was the result of the community’s desire to reduce the gap in health outcomes for African American men. Later, it was recognized that the gap in health outcomes impacts other communities; therefore, it was broadened to include all men considered medically underserved (those who are uninsured, underinsured, or without a regular health care provider). The Men’s Health Forum empowers men with the resources, knowledge, and information to effectively manage their health by providing health education and screenings to the community. This article provides an explanation of the key components that have contributed to the success of the Men’s Health Forum, including challenges and lessons learned. It is intended that this information be replicated in other communities in an effort to eliminate health disparities.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the pivotal efforts that Mr. Bob Samuels, Mr. Jim West, Mr. Jim Wallace, Mr. Al Adkins, and others from the Tampa Bay community gave in designing, planning, and ultimately, implementing the African American Men’s Health Forum. Without their vision and determination, the Men’s Health Forum would not have been able to reach and care for so many medically underserved men in the Tampa Bay area.
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Grant, C.G., Davis, J.L., Rivers, B.M. et al. The Men’s Health Forum: An Initiative to Address Health Disparities in the Community. J Community Health 37, 773–780 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9510-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9510-3