HEALTH FAIR HELD IN
BRONX'S SLATTERY PLAYGROUND

n a recent Saturday, Children Living with AIDS, founded by Dr. Noel Howell (who is from Antigua in the West Indies), and the Ladies Association for the Empowerment of All, (Club LFEA, as it's called), held the "Stay Healthy" fair at Slattery Playground located at 133^rd Street and Valentine Avenue in the Bronx.

Health care providers were on hand to talk to adults about the serious matter of health care for their families. To keep the children entertained, there was basketball and other fun, with plenty of good eats for all.

One of the participants was Epifanio Gevuevara. He got the word out about the new Urgent Care Unit at the Morris Heights Health Center at 85 West Burnside Avenue, (718) 716-4400. This new unit, which remains open after the Health Center closes, meets the emergency needs of the family such as sudden illness, severe pain and injury. It's also open on weekends, and accepts most insurance plans.

" We're trying to get the public away from the emergency room," said Gevuevara. "If your child gets sick and has a fever of 103 you can say, 'Let me run him over to the emergency room.' Then you can sit there with him for 4 hours before getting any help! But if you come to Urgent Care, we're there to provide what you need."

Ousmanou Sahabi, Marketing Representative for Affinity Health Plan, was also present. Affinity is funded by New York State and is for low-income citizens, qualified immigrants and permanent residents, ages 19 through 64, who do not have health coverage and are not eligible for Medicaid.

He also spoke to parents about New York State's Child Health Plus Program, offered through Affinity, which provides a wide variety of services for children, including doctor's visits, immunization, dental and vision care, prescription and non-prescription drugs, lead screening and much more. For further information, contact Mr. Sahabi at (347) 865-8706.

Others were in attendance as well, such as Lissette Marrero who acquainted people with the Adolescent Risk Evaluation Program at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore.

Along with the valuable information being circulated, some wonderful young performers also entertained the crowd.

The first was Impact Repertoire Theatre, a group of about 30 teenagers from Harlem and the Bronx who try to bring some useful artistic form to the problems they confront in their lives - gun violence, police brutality, drug use, teen sex. A theme they dealt with that day related to the issue that arose 3 years ago at the Puerto Rican Day Parade when young women were groped and the police did practically nothing to stop it.

"They're thinking kids," one audience member said, "looking at situations they have to deal with, and asking what would be the best way to go about it. They take negative things that happen and ask, 'What can we do to help ourselves and help others out of a situation like that?' I thought that was really moving," she continued. "Their message was very powerful."

Also performing were Marquis Howell and Jada Challenger, the MJ's, who sang "Keep Loving Me", the single that will be released on a CD in time for AIDS World Day in December. The words of the song are by Dr. Howell who said, "This single is dedicated to Raven, a little girl of 12 who has HIV. On it she will say a poem about how she feels being rejected by other kids because she has AIDS. Then the MJ's will sing 'Keep Loving Me.' It applies to anyone in a situation where you feel you're being deserted by family and friends," he explained, "but especially to people with AIDS, because once you have that stigma, all your friends pull away."

At the health fair, Joel Rivera, Majority Leader and Councilman for District 15 in the Bronx, awarded Citations of Appreciation from the New York City Council to various community activists.

The citations read in part: "Whereas a city is only as great as those persons who give exemplary service to their communities; And whereas such service, which is truly the lifeblood of the community and the city, so often goes unrecognized and unrewarded; Now, therefore be it resolved that as a duly elected member of the Council of the City of New York, I recognize you."

The first went to Martha Smith, President of the Association from Fordham to Burnside (AFB), an organization located in the heart of the community that works on all of the issues affecting the people of the community. In accepting her citation, Smith thanked Councilman Rivera for always being around when they need him, even when they call him at the last moment. "Thank you for always caring about us, Joel," she said. "God bless you."

The next award went to AFB's past president, Bevon Dabrio, also from Antigua, who works with Club LAFEA, which has as its aim to foster integration among neighbors, and to provide moral, emotional and academic support for each other.

Maria Pabon of the Friends of Slattery Playground received an award as well for her diligent work over the years.

Jada Challenger and Marquis Howell were each given a citation for their work with Children Living with AIDS, a non-profit organization that provides recreation, education, and entertainment for children living with HIV. It also participates in HIV/AIDS prevention programs to improve HIV awareness.

Children Living with AIDS is now working on the "S.O.S. Crusade," - The Stomp Out the Stigma Crusade - which will be spread out over 12 months and involve many different organizations at different stages of the campaign.

The inaugural event to kick off the "S.O.S Crusade" will be the S.O.S Concert held at the Aaron Davis Hall on December 1^st. The theme will be "Stomp Out the Stigma – Keep Loving Me" and will feature live performances by Impact Repertoire Theatre, the MJ’s, Mud Faces and others. There will also be guest speakers, poetry readings, dance, and more. For further information, contact Dr. Noel Howell at (646) 234-0295 or visit the Children Living with AIDS website at www.clwainc.org.