SUMTER, S.C. (WIS) – A free community health fair in Sumter is taking a holistic approach to men’s wellness by bringing physical health, mental health, and social well-being resources together in one place.
The Sumter Men’s Health Fair is set for Saturday, June 20, in Sumter. Organizers said the event is designed to help men better understand their health, get connected to resources, and take steps toward prevention and early detection.
The event builds on ongoing conversations around health disparities among Black and Latino men, including work being done through the University of South Carolina’s Community Health Intervention Resiliency Program, or CHIRP Lab.
Research from the National Institutes of Health shows Black and Latino men have a lower life expectancy than other racial and ethnic groups by as many as eight years. USC’s CHIRP Lab has been working to address those gaps through programs like Fade to Fitness, which brings conversations about mental, physical, and overall wellness into trusted community spaces, including barbershops.
Terry Woods, a longtime community partner and Fade to Fitness participant, said the barbershop can be a starting point for men who may not feel comfortable beginning those conversations in a medical setting.
“The comfortability in the barbershop versus the professional care places — this is a good starter point here to get you going,” Woods said. “This is where we have these personal, private conversations that lead you to going to your doctor.”
Kofi Moseley-Kellum, a volunteer and empowerment coach with Fade to Fitness, said programs like this help give men the support and space they need to take their health seriously.
“We just need to be given the tools and opportunities to do so and the space to do so,” Moseley-Kellum said. “And so that’s why Fade to Fitness is so beautiful, because it provides that safe nurturing space.”
Organizers of the Sumter Men’s Health Fair said the same idea is behind Saturday’s event: meeting men where they are and making resources more accessible.
Partners for the fair include Sandhills Medical, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and United Way of Sumter. Each organization is helping highlight a different part of overall wellness.
Sandhills Medical is focused on physical health and preventive care. The 988 Hotline is helping address mental and behavioral health. United Way of Sumter is focusing on social well-being, including community support and access to resources.
One organizer said many men delay care because they are focused on working and providing for their families.
“That’s what we find. Men do not go to the doctor. They don’t take care of themselves,” the organizer said. “They work a lot. They want to provide for their families. So what we want to do is bring several resources from health, behavioral health, and social services to men to help them and guide them in the right direction to keep them living here longer to take care of their families.”
Organizers said education is also a major part of the fair, especially when it comes to prevention and early detection.
“For not only those populations, but all men in general, their lack of understanding about early detection and prevention,” the organizer said. “Education is important so that they understand that doing these types of screenings is a first line of defense in order to set up a good treatment plan.”
Woods said one of the biggest barriers for men is often pride, but building trust can help break down that barrier.
“When you’re dealing with men, the first obstacle is pride,” Woods said. “And once you get across that pride factor, the relationship starts to build.”
For Moseley-Kellum, the impact of the work goes both ways.
“It’s a healing experience both ways,” he said. “I can see them healing, but I’m also healing in the same process.”
Organizers said the Sumter Men’s Health Fair is free and open to the community.
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