Free Mammograms, Health Screenings, and More: The Links Takes Over New York With Five Wellness Expos This Saturday
If you're in the New York area this Saturday, March 21, you have no excuse not to get your health checked. Five chapters of The Links, Incorporated are hosting free Black Family Wellness Expos at five locations spanning Brooklyn, Harlem, Queens, and Long Island, all as part of the organization's National Impact Day of Service.
The expos are part of a nationwide initiative that mobilizes Links chapters to reduce health and economic disparities and improve outcomes for Black families. The Links, Incorporated is an international, not-for-profit corporation established in 1946, with more than 17,000 professional women of African descent across 299 chapters. And this year, New York is blanketing the map.
Every event is free and open to all.
Harlem: Greater New York (NY) & Metro-Manhattan (NY) Chapters at Abyssinian Baptist Church
The Greater New York (NY) Chapter and the Metro-Manhattan (NY) Chapter are joining forces for a co-hosted expo at Abyssinian Baptist Church's Dr. Calvin O. Butts III Educational & Cultural Center (150 West 138th St, New York, NY 10030) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The day includes a food pantry, panel discussions, meditation and yoga sessions, a free lunch, a baby diaper giveaway, and access to community partners and health professionals. The chapter is framing the day around a clear message: "Black Health is Generational Wealth."
And for women 40 and over, the Mount Sinai Mammography Program is bringing its Mammovan to 132 Odell Clark Place for free mammogram screenings from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. No referral is needed. Women are eligible if they haven't had a mammogram in the past year, have no signs or symptoms of breast disease, have a prescription for a mammogram, and have health insurance.
Brooklyn: Brooklyn (NY) Chapter at Medgar Evers College
The Brooklyn (NY) Chapter is running the longest programming slate of the day at Medgar Evers College (1638 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a series of structured community conversations rather than a traditional health fair format.
The day opens at 10 a.m. with "The War on Colon Cancer: Join the Fight, Know the Plan," a critical topic given the rising rates of colorectal cancer among younger Black adults. At 11:45 a.m., the expo offers "Health Conversations in Creole," making programming accessible to Brooklyn's large Haitian and Caribbean community.
The marquee panel hits at 1:15 p.m.: "Our Health & Health Equity: Breaking Barriers & Building Trust," an intergenerational conversation exploring health equity through medical, legislative, educational, and community leadership lenses. U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (NY-9), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and Senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is on the panel alongside Nikki A. Bethel-Grant, President and CEO of the Emma L. Bowen Foundation, and Sydney C. Butts, MD FACS, Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology and Chief of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. The discussion will be moderated by Leslie A. Hayes, MD, FAAP, Chief of Pediatrics at Woodhull Hospital/NYU Langone Affiliate.
The day closes at 3 p.m. with "Menopause & Fibroids: More Than Just A Table Talk," a panel centered on a conversation that Black women have historically been expected to endure quietly rather than discuss openly.
Queens: Greater Queens (NY) Chapter at Jamaica YMCA
The Greater Queens (NY) Chapter is hosting its expo at the Jamaica YMCA (89-25 Parsons Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11432) from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., with a strong emphasis on direct access to health care. The event features health and dental screenings, hearing and mental health screenings, blood pressure screenings, and dedicated men's health resources. Free blood pressure monitors will be given away while supplies last.
Long Island: Eastern Shore (NY) Chapter at Wyandanch Memorial High School
The Eastern Shore (NY) Chapter brings the expo east to Wyandanch Memorial High School (54 S 32nd St, Wyandanch, NY 11798) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event leans into family engagement with workshops, kids' games and activities, free groceries, and Double Dutch lessons.
The chapter's theme, "When We All Vote: Empowering Black Families to End Health Disparities," ties civic participation directly to health equity, making the connection between the ballot box and the doctor's office explicit.
Westchester: Westchester County & Greater Hudson Valley Chapters in New Rochelle
The Westchester County (NY) Chapter and the Greater Hudson Valley (NY) Chapter are co-hosting "A Community Wellness Expo" at the Boys and Girls Club of New Rochelle, Remington Clubhouse (1 Remington Place, New Rochelle, NY 10801) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This event will offer on-site mammograms, vision screenings, blood pressure checks, diabetes screenings, and children's oral health screenings. The day also includes CPR demonstrations, cooking demonstrations, financial wellness programming, workshops on chronic kidney disease and Medicare, voter registration, a children's fun zone, exercise activities, a music and entertainment stage, and free refreshments. Sponsors include Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Futures, Black K.A.R.E., Montefiore New Rochelle, and Grow! Eat from the Lincoln Park Conservancy. Community partners range from the Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley and the American Heart Association to the National Council of Negro Women.
The Black Family Wellness Expo initiative aims to raise awareness about conditions that shorten life or affect the quality of life for those in the Black community, with programming designed for the entire family, from infants to senior citizens.
