DETROIT – What other reason would bring hundreds of guys to Ford Field besides a Lions game?
“I came here to get a medical checkup,” Hassan Gibson said.
Dr. Michael Latz reports that about one-third of men on the waiting list are uninsured or underinsured.
A retired urologist, he is also founder and chairman of the Men’s Health Foundation and was recently awarded a Go 4 It award for his work promoting men’s health.
Men’s Health events are structured like a one-stop doctor’s visit, with attendees getting their vitals checked and discussing their medical history before undergoing a medical exam to start their journey to health.
“We probably have over 1,000 men coming in today,” Dr. Latz says, “and over 10 percent of them are using this as their annual checkup.”
Each year, people take advantage of free blood tests, vaccinations, dental exams and vision screenings. This is Ray Smigelski’s fourth year participating in the men’s health event.
“This is a great thing, and I think men in general need to stop worrying about being macho about things and be honest with people about their health,” Smigelski said. “It’s not a big deal. It shouldn’t be so stigmatized.”
The tests look at not just physical health, but mental health as well, giving men a snapshot into the state of their health. But that only tells one side of the story.
“What happens to the thousands of men in metro Detroit who have chosen to stay home and stay on the sidelines,” Dr. Latz said, “so we want them to come out to the game, come here to Ford Field and join us and maybe we can save their lives.”
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