On Sunday, August 3, the Telford church hosted a community
health day in the Whitehouse Hotel, Wellington, England. The day included a
wide range of health tests for the general public as well as free consultations
with doctors and other health professionals.
Councillor Amrik Jhawar, Deputy Mayor of the borough of Telford
and Wrekin, opened the event and spoke of the importance of preventative health
measures in keeping the whole community healthy. Also on the podium was Councillor
Kuldip Sahota, leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, who spoke warmly of the
health work being done by the Telford Seventh-day Adventist church.
Among the professionals were medical consultants and doctors,
representatives from the National Health Service’s (NHS) “FutureFit” and Patient
Advice and Liaison services, a Community Ambassador from the Police Crime
Commissioner’s Office (West Mercia Police), members of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church’s Lifestyle Team, workers from the Terrence Higgins Trust, and a group
from the Shropshire Islamic Foundation.
Event organizer and Telford member Hezron Ottey is an accident
and emergency nurse at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. He speaks regularly on
Radio Shropshire and has many connections within the local community. “We
really have had a lot of support from local groups,” he said. “It’s great to
see the whole community coming together with the aim of improving health and
lifestyle at all levels of our society.”
Dr. Amir Ali Thakur, a Senior A&E Registrar at the Royal
Shrewsbury Hospital, welcomed the opportunity to speak directly to members of
the public during the day. “Health is important for everyone, and we should all
be more aware of the importance of diet and lifestyle in maintaining good
health.”
Dr. Ali Jan, a pediatrician at the Princess Royal Hospital,
Telford, added, “Diet is the key. We need to get the message across that
children need a healthy balanced diet.” A member of the Shropshire Islamic
Foundation, Jan pointed out that this was also a serious problem in the Muslim
community. “People need to realize that if we’re not getting these from our
lifestyle or diet, we need to take supplements or eat cereals that have been
fortified with vitamins.”
At the other end of the spectrum was Dr. Ejaz Nazir, a
Consultant in Old Age as well as a lecturer in psychiatry at the University of
Chester. “Dementia is a growing problem and there is a false belief that it is
a normal part of aging,” he said. “We need to remove the stigma surrounding
this disease and encourage people to contact their GPs or the Alzheimer’s Society
if they have concerns. It’s true that there is no cure as such, but there is
still a great deal we can do.”
Throughout the day a steady stream of people passed through the
various stations, having their BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol level, heart
rate, and various other parameters measured. Local resident Kirsten said, “I
really appreciated the fact that the health professionals had time to listen to
me and reassure me about the concerns I had.”
Stu, also from Telford, said, “I’ve only been to see a doctor
twice in my life, so finding out my blood pressure, blood sugar, and
cholesterol levels was really helpful. I also appreciated the way the hall was
organized; it was easy to work out where everything was and you could just pop
in whenever you wanted.”
Welsh Mission President John Surridge is delighted with this
initiative. “We’re so happy to have been able to make a difference in Telford,
but we couldn’t have done it without so much local support.”
See
more at adventist.org.uk/news/2014/2014-wa/telford-church-runs-major-community-health-day#sthash.2p3NledR.dpuf.
