The Spirit of Detroit, located in the heart of the city, signifies its true heart and soul. It celebrates the spirit of the family and its importance across the world. It is the family and the health of each person's mind, body, and spirit which will define its overall success and survival. Since 2008, the Michigan Institute of Urology (MIU) Men's Health Foundation has focused on the health of men and its role in overall family survivorship. When the male in the family becomes ill, the rest of the family suffers. The spouse is at increased risk of developing stress-related health issues and the children will be challenged to succeed educationally and become at-risk for alcohol and drug abuse issues. Over the years, since the inception of our foundation, it has become self-evident that men's health is family health. The primary goal of all of our men's health community outreach and advocacy activities revolve around the importance of men's health and its role within overall family survivorship. Since 2011, we have been holding an annual Men's Health Event at Ford Field in Detroit, whereupon thousands of men partake in numerous screening, educational, and treatment opportunities in a family-friendly environment. The target population for this event is underserved and underinsured men in desperate need of health care opportunities. The majority of the men are overweight or obese by body mass index or waist to height ratios. There are a number of men newly diagnosed with hypertension, anxiety/depression, diabetes, oral malignancies, etc. There appears to be a common link in men with poor eating habits, obesity, hypertension, lack of exercise, daily stress, poor sleeping habits, and lack of spirituality in their lives. Although everything mentioned appears to be "common sense" as it correlates of poor health and outcomes, the significant role of spirituality and health caught me by surprise. This should not be dismissed, but rather embraced as an opportunity to engage our places of worship as another way to draw men toward a more healthful life for the benefit of themselves and their family. The only way we will ever improve the health of our male community is by "uniting", and bringing together organizations which play a significant role in our family life. We must continue to develop educational, screening tools, and opportunities in places like barbershops, schools, and places where men shop and congregate. No one individual or organization "owns" men's health, yet united together with a greater common goal, we will achieve overall improved health for men and their families. We're proud to sponsor the Men's Health Event at Ford Field, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21. Learn more here. About the author: Dr. Michael Lutz is a urologist and president of the Michigan Institute of Urology. If you found this post helpful, you might also enjoy:
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