Men of color have “higher overall rates of death than white males and a higher rate of preventable diseases.” (1) In addition, “men of color suffer from higher rates of poverty, unemployment, incarceration, and discrimination than their white counterparts.” (2) With the strains on the safety net, those most likely to lose coverage are men. In Florida, single men who are legal residents or citizens do not have the option of applying for Medicaid or cash assistance; undocumented men have no insurance coverage option and have limited access to the health safety net. In 2003, as part of the W.K. Kellogg Men’s Health Initiative and with ongoing support from the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine, Community Voices Miami partnered with the The Growth Partnership to launch a men’s health study in Overtown, one of the poorest communities in the United States.

The objective of this work was to better understand the status of men’s health in Overtown (Overtown Summary - Overtown States) and to raise awareness among public policy makers and the community at large about issues confronting men from distressed communities in general. In doing so, project leaders also sought to draw parallels between Overtown and other similar communities across the country. Miami’s Overtown, a historically African-American neighborhood, is one of the lowest urban wage centers in the country.

As a result of this work and the re-engagement of Overtown men around the study’s results, the Overtown Men’s Health Team was born. Policy researchers from the Collins Center participate together with Overtown residents in promoting the Healthy Men Healing Overtown project which includes four components:

• Baseline and routine physiological check-ups and screenings. Men will receive a biomedical physical examination upon enrollment in the program, and will receive follow-up examinations and age-appropriate screenings at routine intervals.
• Health-promoting behavior and lifestyle modification. Men will receive education and encouragement to cultivate healthy levels of exercise, to follow a healthy diet, and to promote weight management and stress management.
• Health advocacy and outreach training. Men will receive health information to share with their neighbors, and will undertake training to serve as effective health advocates. Potentially, a select number of the program participants may be recruited for training as Community Health Workers.
• Family awareness. In the program, men will be encouraged to have their children accompany them to their doctor’s appointments to impart awareness in each man’s family of the importance of primary and preventive care.

Through its collaboration with The Growth Partnership, Community Voices Miami at the Collins Center for Public Policy is reaching out to the community of Overtown to uncover the main health and wellness issues, to seek innovative means of addressing them, and to facilitate the implementation of solutions.

For more information about our Men’s Health programming or the Healthy Men Healing Overtown project, please contact Dr. April Young at (305) 377 4484, ext. 31, or Dr. Leda M. Perez at (305) 377-4484 , ext. 29.

Other Men's Health Initiatives in Community Voices sites across the country:

Baltimore City Health Department. The Baltimore Health Department established a freestanding Men's Health Center serving a population that is 98% African American and suffers from chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, asthma, substance abuse and sexually transmitted disease. Located in the Sandtown-Winchester community, the Men's Health Center is a full-service primary care facility that provides health care at no charge to uninsured males, ages 19 to 64. Through this initiative, the center's sponsors aim to create a health home for men, avoid expensive emergency room use, improve health status and serve as a catalyst for policy innovation. For more information, contact Sherry Adeyemi (410) 396-4502.

Boston Public Health Commission. Outreach is a hallmark of the Boston program. The Boston Public Health Commission is training young men of color to be community health workers; implementing case management teams and developing a Young Men's Health Coalition. HealthCREW aims to create a unique brand of community worker who can apply a holistic framework to men's health through a 9-month training program culminating in certification and placement in community based organizations after graduation. In addition, two case management teams will be established in conjunction with men's clinics at a hospital and a community health center. The teams work with men coming out of jail to link them to health care in the community and with victims of violence to address their many needs while connecting them to health care services. For more information, contact Dr. John Rich at (617) 534-7148 or (617) 534-2662.

Delta Community Partners in Care, Clarksdale, Mississippi. In the Mississippi Delta, a predominantly African American area with 25% uninsurance and over 40% poverty, this program is developing a comprehensive men's health delivery system. They are developing male-dedicated entry points using outreach and case management, allocating specific days in the three participating primary care clinics for male services and conducting community-wide screening and education. For more information, contact Lela Keys at (662) 624-3484.

Denver Health. Denver's comprehensive safety-net health system, consisting of the public hospital, community and school based health centers, the local public health department, and other specialized programs, serves over 25% of the city's residents. Denver Health is employing male community outreach workers to increase access for underserved men, three-quarters of who are minority. The Men's Health Initiative aims to improve health outcomes by increasing access to primary care for underserved men through community-based screenings, outreach, and enrollment and case management. Additionally, a network of preferred providers for men and best practices for conditions unique to men have been developed. For more information, contact Dr. Richard Wright at (303) 436-6850.

Grady Teen Services, Atlanta, Georgia. The Grady Health System, Atlanta's hospital for the indigent, is focusing on adolescent males and reproductive health. The program is centrally located in downtown Atlanta, providing group educational sessions and counseling for adolescent males and their partners. It aims to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and violence against women and to improve the health of young men and increase their awareness of family well-being. For more information, contact Marie E. Mitchell at (404) 616-3543.

1 Rich, J.A. and Ro, M. “A Poor Man’s Plight: Uncovering the Disparity in Men’s Health,” A series of Community Voices Publications.
2 Idem.