Nashville – Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center (MWCHC) observes National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October 1st thru the 31st 2009. During the month of October, the Center will provide free breast exams and mammogram screenings to women ages 40 and over, who are uninsured or under-insured. The exams and screening will be provided Monday thru Thursday by appointment only at our Nashville Clinic so that everyone who is interested will have an opportunity to be seen.

Amongst the most recent data collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the state of Tennessee ranks within the lowest level of percentages for incidences of breast cancer but within the highest percentage totals for those who die from breast cancer. Though our state percentages for breast cancer incidence are encouraging our number of deaths from breast cancer is not and we know that one of the best ways to effectively combat these statistics is through prevention awareness and early detection. On an ongoing basis, MWCHC works to effectively be a part of the solution by providing breast exams and mammograms screenings free (to those that qualify) or at an affordable cost to those seeking our services all year round, however for the month of October, we will be providing such services for free to all women ages 40 and over.

For an appointment or for more information, please contact our Nashville Clinic at 615-340-1280 or 615-327-9400 x. 341. Transportation will be provided for those persons who are need from our Clarksville Clinic to our Nashville Clinic on specific dates. Please inquire with our Clarksville Clinic at 931-920-5000 regarding transportation needs.

About the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center

Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center (MWCHC), established in 1968, serves Middle Tennessee residents who are medically underserved and underinsured. MWCHC is a primary and specialty medical, dental and diagnostic facility with it’s administrative office located at 1035 14th Avenue North in Nashville, and since January 2008 a new clinic facility located at 230 Dover Road in Clarksville.

The purpose of this activity is to bring attention to the higher disparity of men, particularly men in the lower-socio-economic levels, failing to seek medical attention of their health problems and neglecting issues associated with men’s health.

The statistics relating to illness and morbidity rates among men are giving increasing cause for concern. Over all men’s health is poor according to a wide range of measures. Some of the most significant are:

• Males are more likely to die than females at all ages.
• The average male life expectancy at birth is currently 74.6years; for women it is 79.6 years.
• Males are more likely than females to die from cancer, heart disease, HIV infection, accidents and suicide.
• Men are much less likely than women to consult a doctor or a dentist – on average, males visit the doctor four times a year while women visit six times a year.

Here is the schedule of screenings and testing which is available with this week’s focus on men’s health.

All events listed are available at the Nashville location: Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, 1035 14^th Avenue North , Nashville , TN 37208. For more information call, 615-324-9688.

Every day in the United States, an average of 5 children (0-14 years old) were killed and over 500 were injured in motor vehicle crashes during 2007. The number one cause of death for children 2-14 is motor vehicle crashes.

Learning which car safety seat to use and how to properly install a car seat is important for all families, especially for families with children ages 4-7. Fifty percent of children of that age group were restrained correctly in booster seats in 2007. Over one in three were in an incorrect seat and 15 percent were totally unrestrained.

Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, is expanding  their target area by bringing its national child passenger safety seat program, ‘See Me Safe,’ to Clarksville. Developed in partnership with Meharry Medical College and hosted by Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Centers, ‘See Me Safe’ shows families how to properly install car seats through hands-on training and also provides health care providers key information on child passenger safety.

During the demonstration and safety check, certified child safety seat technicians educate families about proper car seat installation and give-a-way over 50 child safety seats. See Me Safe uses interactive education techniques to connect parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers to child passenger safety technicians.

Clarksville’s first ‘See Me Safe’ Child Car Seat Safety Program demonstration and give-a-way will be held Saturday, June 20th, 9 AM to 12:30 PM, at Faith Outreach Church, 731 Windermere Drive. The program is free and open to the public. It is being hosted by Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center and Meharry Medical College, along with families from Clarksville.

For more information, contact:  Dell Johnson, (ofc ph) 615-324-9688 or (cellph) 615-491-2470.

(Nashville, Tennessee)  – The Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center [MWCHC], the Department of Health and Human Services Region IV Offices in Atlanta, Georgia and 92Q Cumulus Broadcasting Station have come together to advance the health of the Nashville and Greater Metro Community.

The Center was awarded a grant to facilitate the Reviving Double Dutch Competition in the Greater Nashville Community. The program seeks to motivate, educate and empower children ages 8 to 18 years old to increase their free-time physical activity levels. The final competition will be held April 25th from 9am to 2pm at Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet High School, 613 17th Avenue North , 37203.

“Years ago Double Dutch was an activity that brought you together with neighborhood friends”, says Katina Beard , Director of Institutional Advancement and Community Initiatives. “We didn’t think of it as exercise; it was just something to do.”

The Reviving Double Dutch Program is based on an age old jump rope concept called “Double Dutch”, where there are two jump ropes used simultaneously along with two people turning and possibly multiple persons jumping. Several teams signed up for the program and each team consisted of 4 to 6 youth and 1 to 2 coaches, depending upon the size of the team.  The youth and the coaches were taught to jump Double Dutch Rope by professional trainers. All Reviving Double Dutch Program participants were monitored throughout the project for changes in their body mass index (BMI), endurance, strength, agility, nutrition knowledge and of course growth in Double Dutch skills.  Three teams remain, who will compete in the final round of the competition. The teams represent, Head Middle School , Bordeaux Elementary School , and Hadley Park .

Barbara Jones-Slater

The general public is invited to witness this healthy, fun-filled competition and admission is free. There will be celebrity judges from the Disney 2007 movie “Jump In”, a special performance by the nationally renowned Double Dutch team USA Jump Rope and a guest appearance by Olympic Gold Medalist, Mrs. Barbara Jones-Slater. The winning team of the final competition will receive $1,000.00 sponsored by 92Q, a Cumulus Broadcasting Station.

About Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center

The Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center serves the under-insured and uninsured families of Middle Tennessee.  They offer sick visits, check-ups, comprehensive dental care, low-cost prescriptions, telemedicine, health education, counseling and specialty care including women’s health, ophthalmology and podiatry. They are the place of first and last resort for many in need of quality, affordable healthcare, with four clinic sites in the Middle Tennessee community. Their main offices are located in Nashville, at 1035 14th Avenue North, they have two other satellite clinic sites located in Nashville as well. Their Clarksville, Tennessee clinic site is located at 230 Dover Road, and serves Montgomery, Robertson, Cheatham and Houston contiguous rural counties.  For more information call 615-327-9400 or visit their website.

The child using the car seat must be present and snacks will be provided. There will be minimum paperwork to complete. A limited number of car seats will be checked — first come first serve!

For more information contact the Middle Tennessee Child Passenger Safety Center at Meharry Medical College, 615-327-5900.

The AARP Board meeting will be held October 7 in the conference room of Regents Bank on Second Street. The agenda includes Christmas planning, and chapter plans for service to the Palmyra Health Care Center.

The Chapter will also partner with the Ajax Turner Senior Center to provide free cataract screenings to be administered by Loden Vision Center on November 12 from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.  A total of 16  fifteen minute slots, eight for the senior center and eight for AARP, will be offered. Candidates for the screening must be 50 years of age, and not have had prior cataract surgery. Symptoms may include blurred vision, glare, haze, and nighttime visual difficulties. For more information or to make an appointment for one of these exam slots, call David Cook at 931-645-3370 or the Senior Center.