(Boston, MA) June 2018 –Whittier Street Health Center will host its 18^th Annual Men’s Health Summit on Saturday, June 23rd 2018 and will honor eight Men’s Health Champions for helping to promote health and well-being in the community. NBC 10’s Frank Holland to serve as the keynote speaker.

The Men’s Health Summit, which is free and open to all, will take place at the Whittier Street Health Center at 1290 Tremont Street in Roxbury on June 23rd from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This year’s theme is Healthy Men: Family, Food, Fitness. The event will include health screenings, a keynote speech, a panel discussion on men’s health, workshops and award presentations to men’s health champions from diverse backgrounds.

“Every day, especially in June, during Men’s Health Month, Whittier is raising awareness about health disparities that affect boys and men of color. And we are also raising the dialogue on efforts to ensure that all men achieve better health outcomes.” Says Frederica M. Williams, President & CEO of Whittier Street Health Center.  “We believe that by improving the physical, emotional, social, and economic health of our men and boys, we are helping to build stronger families and stronger communities,” Williams continues.

Whittier’s 2018 Men’s Health Champion: leaders, advocates and champions from diverse backgrounds will be awarded Men’s Health Champions awards at the event:

The 2018 Men’s Health Champions include:

• Philip Lembo: Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Eversource Energy
• Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, Esq: Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice
• Michael Curry, Esq: Executive Vice President, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
• Dumas Lafontant: Director of Lower Roxbury Coalition
• Kemo Ceesay: President & Chief Executive Officer, CAM Office Supplies
• Val Harris: Manager of Workforce Development, Suffolk County House of Corrections

Research shows that adult African Americans are 40 percent more likely to die of a stroke than the white population in the U.S., 30 percent more likely to die of a heart disease, 40 percent more likely to be obese, and 60 percent more likely to be diabetic. Black children in the U.S. are twice as likely to have asthma and 73 percent more likely to be obese than white children in this country.

The Whittier Street Health Center, which provides health services to the region and features an onsite Wellness and Fitness Club, is easily accessible by public transportation and has ample parking, making it convenient as well as affordable for those who live outside the community. The Whittier Street Health Center is housed in a new six-story 78,900-square foot building (it opened in 2012 at its current location) that is across from the city’s police headquarters. Many of its patients visit from Mattapan, Dorchester, Jamaica Plan and the South End, as well as Roxbury, and hail from more than 20 countries.

For more information about the event, or if your organization is interested in participating, call Patricia Vruho, Development and Marketing Coordinator at 617-989-3119 or Robert Edwards, Men’s Health Case Manager at 617 989 3028.

About Whittier Street Health Center
About Whittier Street Health Center (www.wshc.org) Whittier Street Health Center is a Joint Commission accredited, private, non-profit, independently licensed community health center dedicated to providing high quality, reliable and accessible primary healthcare and support services for diverse populations to promote wellness and eliminate health and social disparities. Serving close to 30,000 clients with approximately 145,000 clinic visits and 30,000 community outreach visits annually, Whittier has a patient base which is ethnically and racially diverse and includes significant numbers of individuals from Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, the South End and Greater Boston. Whittier provides a comprehensive array of 40 healthcare programs and services designed to meet the primary health care, behavioral health, and social needs of the community. Whittier is recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a level 3 (highest level) patient-centered medical home. Learn more at www.wshc.org.

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