Beltline Health Fairs Aim to Strengthen Health Equity for Westside Atlanta Residents

“We’re trying to promote movement, healthier lifestyles and better quality of life,” Davis said.

This is the first time ABP has partnered with the Fulton County Board of Health (FCBOH), the American Heart Association (AHA), and Level3 Yoga with a focus on community health and wellness, Davis explained.

ABP has previously sponsored family play days that also provided health information and currently hosts smaller wellness events with other community partners, such as Free Family Fitness, a 30-minute sports game for children and their caregivers, and Walk with a Doc, walks led by doctors. the city.

Residents will be able to participate in free yoga and CPR classes and learn about issues such as disease prevention, child nutrition, teen pregnancy, mental health, home health care and a affordable health insurance.

Upcoming health fairs will initially target the Westside. The historically black community includes low-income residents, some of whom lack access to social services, according to event partners.

Black and Hispanic residents are less likely to receive CPR training, according to the AHA. Then there’s the lower average life expectancy of some Westside residents. A Georgia Health News report found that residents of the English Avenue neighborhood in Westside lived on average to age 64, compared to 87 for some residents of Buckhead’s Margaret Mitchell neighborhood.

“This data clearly demonstrates how factors such as social support, financial resources, education, employment, and stable housing – classified as social determinants of health – affect Atlantans’ ability to access health care adequate, adopt healthy behaviors and live in a healthy environment. ” said Shana Scott, vice president of community impact for the Metro Atlanta AHA.

“These disparities are often overlooked in traditional clinical and preventive care, but they play an important role in influencing health outcomes, particularly in CPR,” Scott said.

Audrey Cash, founder of Level3 Yoga and former FCBOH health educator, brought the idea of ​​health fairs to ABP after leading free outdoor yoga classes on the Beltline for the past two years. Previously, she coordinated and provided health education at health fairs for FCBOH.

Beltline health fairs provide services to largely minority communities who may not have access to primary care physicians or the technology needed to purchase services such as affordable health insurance, Cash said.

The health fairs also expand ABP’s work with Westside residents to improve financial stability and wealth creation.

Last year, through a neighbor-to-neighbor partnership involving ABP, more than 30 canvassers connected 10,000 residents in 10 Westside communities with resources to improve their lives and help them afford to stay in the area , Davis said. Various Atlanta nonprofits have offered services such as home repairs, legal representation to avoid displacement, as well as property taxes, down payment and closing cost assistance.

Residents who have lived in the area for decades and have seen their property values ​​increase may not be able to withstand rising property taxes, making them vulnerable to displacement, he said.

A 2018 feasibility study of the Beltline Resident Retention Program identified priority equity planning areas on the West and South Sides, where longtime residents were vulnerable to displacement, Davis explained. The retention program helps “keep residents in their homes and position them for generational wealth-building outcomes by paying property tax increases throughout fiscal year 2030.”

HouseATL, which advocates for affordable housing, recently recognized the Beltline ABP Partnership as its 2024 Housing Retention Hero for its efforts to prevent the displacement of longtime residents, allowing them to age in place.

Although the health fairs will start on the Westside, they will serve as a model for other areas around Atlanta, Davis said. Health fairs at Westside Park are scheduled for June 2, July 7, August 4, September 8 and October 6.

Beltline Health Fairs

The Atlanta Beltline Partnership is sponsoring five monthly health fairs this summer and early fall.

4 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 2, July 7, August 4, September 8 and October 6. Registration is not required. Upper entrance to Westside Park, 1660 Johnson Road NW, Atlanta. To learn more, visit Beltline.org/event/westside-community-health-fair/2024-06-02/.