Flatbush Community Health Expo and Diabetes Symposium Features Diabetic Retinopathy Education and Screening by Retina Group of New York
BROOKLYN, NY (PRWEB) April 25, 2017 -- Retina Group of New York (RGONY) is pleased to be a sponsor, speak about “Diabetic Retinopathy Prevention, Detection and Treatment” and provide no-cost retinopathy screening at the Island of Flatbush Community Health Expo and Diabetes Symposium on April 29-30, 2017.
The Expo and Symposium are presented by New Creation Community Health Empowerment (NCCHE) Inc., the organization spearheading the Island of Flatbush Diabetes Task Force “20/20 Vision,” which seeks to lower the incidence of diabetes in Central Brooklyn by 20% by 2020. Dates and Brooklyn locations for the event are: Saturday April 29, 3:00 to 6:00pm, Erasmus Hall High School, 911 Flatbush Ave; and Sunday April 30, 11:00am to 6:00pm (including free retinopathy screening), 2414 Church Ave, Corner of Bedford & Church Aves.
Minister John Williams, NCCHE Founder/President, sharing his personal story about his family history and challenges with diabetes, explains that he was able to reduce his glucose level from almost 600 and a 12.8 HG A1c to normal and get off medication by changing his lifestyle and moving towards a plant-based diet. According to Minister Williams, “Diabetes is a national security crisis and we have to beat it by waging an aggressive warfare against it. The complementary approach of combining the medical with lifestyle intervention will be the 'Battle Plan to Win.'"
James M. Maisel, MD, RGONY Chairman, retinal specialist, and recipient of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Humanitarian of the Year award 2017, states, “Since diabetic retinopathy can be asymptomatic, it is important for community members with diabetes to get a yearly dilated eye exam. Asymptomatic, non-diabetic patients should have a comprehensive eye exam every three years. Sharp vision can be maintained with medications and laser has prevented almost all blindness commonly since the 1970s. More advanced disease can often regain vision with outpatient surgery.”
As a sponsor of the Island of Flatbush Community Health Expo and Diabetes Symposium, RGONY joins other faith-based, government, and healthcare organizations, including ZyDoc, a medical transcription and informatics technology company, also founded and chaired by Dr. Maisel in support of the Expo and the Island of Flatbush Diabetes Task Force “20/20 Vision.
About Retina Group of New York (RGONY)
The Retina Group of New York has provided tertiary vitreoretinal care to patients in Nassau and Suffolk Counties since 1986 at its offices in Hicksville and Hauppauge. Both locations are fully equipped with in-office laser capabilities, cutting-edge diagnostic equipment, and integrated electronic records. The group holds staff privileges at eight area hospitals and teaching appointments at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, North Shore University Hospital, and NuHealth Nassau University Medical Center. The practice is limited to medical and surgical retinal problems. These commonly include diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion, retinal detachment, macular pucker, macula hole, surgery complications, uveitis, Plaquenil toxicity and second opinions. For more information on The Retina Group of New York, visit http://www.rgony.com, or call 516-939-6100 or 631-273-1818 for appointments.
About New Creation Community Health Empowerment Inc. (NCCHE)
New Creation Community Health Empowerment Inc. (NCCHE) is a community-based health organization that has been established in Central Brooklyn since the early 1980s. “The Island of Flatbush,” officially launched in December 2016, is a geographic area mapped out of Central Brooklyn that is known to be the largest concentration of West Indian people, anywhere in America, outside of the Caribbean, at which a Diabetes Task Force was launched. This community is currently being ravished with an epidemic of diabetes and its consequent complications of kidney disease, blindness, amputations, obesity, hypertension, heart disease and more. The 20/20 Vision Initiative has partnered with medical organizations and continues recruitment for 300 churches, Islamic centers / mosques, synagogues and community centers to form the Task Force and implement the battle plan to accomplish its goal.
For more information about the Island of Flatbush Community Health Expo and Diabetes Symposium, and the Diabetes Task Force “20/20 Vision,” please contact Minister John Williams, NCCHE Founder at (347) 962-0451 or by via email at jhnw361(at)gmail(dot)com.
James M. Maisel, MD, Retina Group of New York, http://www.rgony.com, +1 516-939-6100, [email protected]
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