Arizona OHDR: African American Community Health Literacy Initiative

On November 7, 2015, Dr. Kenneth Poole led Your Health Matters, the second installment of an African American community health literacy initiative in Phoenix sponsored by the Office of Health Disparities Research, Arizona.  The event took place at First Institutional Baptist Church in downtown Phoenix.  Topics included health maintenance and prevention, cancer, and a discussion regarding diabetes and mental health.  The goal of Dr. Poole’s health literacy initiative is to help participants improve their medical decision-making; make them more informed consumers of medical services; and to push them to adapt high-yield, legitimate preventive strategies for the purpose of healthy living.  The first health literacy workshop was in August of 2015 at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Phoenix.  First Institutional Baptist Church and Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church are the largest black churches in metro Phoenix.