Written by Tanya Terry, with photos courtesy of New Paths, Inc.
Featured photo: The Recovery Mobile Clinic
A resource expo for women is scheduled for 12-6 p.m. on May 20, at 3139 Hogarth, in Flint. The expo aims to bring together women of all ages and stages of life to access various community resources and support services.
Amy Pratt, a substance use disorder health home certified peer recovery coach for New Paths, Inc., explained that the event was inspired by her own experiences in long-term recovery and her desire to help women navigate barriers. These barriers could include finding healthcare providers, legal services and other essential resources.
“As a health coordinator, what I do is I help our clients who are currently in recovery from substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders,” Pratt shared. “I help them with getting barriers out of the way. Like sometimes it’s coming back into the community. Sometimes it’s getting just simple things like a doctor’s or a business appointment. So, my job is to just connect them with the community, connect them to all the resources, the housing, be it legal.
“I had the idea to do the resource expo for women because as somebody who myself is in long term recovery, I’ve had many different times where I’ve needed help guiding myself through, like finding a doctor, finding a mental health doctor, finding a breast cancer doctor. So, the thought behind it was to bring all of those things for all women from all ages and stages, from like 18 years to 99 years, under one roof, where you can find anything and everything you could possibly need to help navigate your needs in this world.”
The expo will feature over 50 organizations and agencies, including Pearle Vision for eye care information, dental care providers, two credit unions discussing retirement and savings accounts, legal aid services and the YWCA for domestic violence support.
“We have a doula coming,” said Pratt. “We have a dermatology center coming to just talk about women’s skin care…There’s going to be a high school that is newer to the community. They’re coming to talk about the services they offer. The Genesee County Health Department has six different programs for everything from stopping smoking to obesity… We’re hoping to have the mobile mammogram, but we haven’t got confirmation on them yet.”
The Recovery Mobile Clinic, a mobile urgent care and primary care service available to people with or without insurance, will also be present.
The event will also include a free food pantry with fresh meats, vegetables and/or canned goods, addressing the rising cost of groceries that has doubled or tripled for some items.
Dr. Shan Jackson will discuss healthy eating through the Healthy Just Feels Right initiative, and insurance information will also be provided for those who need it.
The event is free and open to the public, with attendees able to walk through, collect resources and receive a voucher for groceries at the end. Additionally, food trucks are being arranged for the event.
“May is Women’s Health month, and the month of Mother’s Day. So, May is the month of women. That’s why we thought we would do a women’s expo in May.
“We hope that this will be like an annual event where women of all ages and stages of life can get together and get resources. It’s a time for the community as a whole to come together just to help improve women’s health and wellness throughout all of Michigan.”
