WS Chronicle

Throughout the pandemic, Whole Man Ministries (WMM) has had one mission: ensuring the health and safety of those in need in the community. Continuing with this effort, WMM, 3916 Old Lexington Road, Winston-Salem, will host The Big Health Care Fair on April 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Previously, WMM has held several fairs that focused on COVID-19 testing. Their goal for this health fair is to open the campus up to the community in an effort to educate those about the importance of good health. Some of the services available will be vision screenings, blood pressure screens, dental care, mammograms and more. The church will also provide gift cards for the first 75 people, along with distributing food.

“Many of us, especially in the African American community, are uninsured and live in a food desert, so we don’t have access to healthy food. So, this is why we want to do it on our campus. We are reaching beyond the church walls and to be a blessing like we always have been,” said Pastor Camilla Washington. 

“To have this on our campus and open this up to folks that are not insured to me is a blessing. I feel like we are in a situation that will make a difference. We come outside the walls of the church and be a part of the community. We feel that makes a difference for us and for the people in the community we serve.”

WMM has partnered with Winston-Salem State University, Novant Health, Well Care and the Forsyth County Department of Public Health for this event.

An event of this magnitude usually takes several months to put everything together. Pastor Washington and her husband Bishop Barry Washington pulled this together in a matter of weeks.

“The logistics of putting this together involved a lot of hard work,” Pastor Washington stated. “It was a lot of planning, a lot of Zoom calls and a lot of phone calls. We were just trying to get everybody on the same page. We just thank God that He has graced us to have partnerships with these organizations and that everybody was willing to come on board.

“It is an awesome event for us, and we are looking forward to seeing everybody come out from the community. We thank God that we could talk to one another and express to our community how important something like this is. Other people have done this, but the difference is we are a constant in the community.

Bishop Washington stated that all people are welcome for the event, but knows that the ratio of Black and Hispanic families, as compared to their white counterparts, don’t have adequate insurance.

“This is one of the things we want to do for the community. We know many times people die young and a lot has to do with health and what we are eating,” said Bishop Washington. “We are just trying to get everybody to see different, think different, and hopefully begin to eat different.”

Noticing the need for such an event was the major motivation for the Washingtons to put the fair together so quickly. They pride themselves on being in tune with the needs of the community and catering to those needs.

“I just got to thinking about those that were visiting us during the heart of the pandemic and a lot of them were in despair,” Washington said. “I had mothers saying they had lost someone, and they were alone. There was no food, there were no vegetables and fruits because of the food insecurities, so I just thought about it and said, let’s put a health fair together.”

For those who would like to schedule a mammogram on the day of the event, please call WMM health ambassador Pamela Evans at 336-837-9459 to schedule an appointment.