At the age of 17, Rosyln Young-Daniels lost her grandparents, both dying less than a week after being admitted to the hospital.
She believes it was the result of years of untreated health issues. The experience was devastating but eye-opening.
“They lived not being well, being uncomfortable, being in pain, being fearful, even though they were surrounded by love,” she reflected.
She said her family was unaware at the time of how the medical system operated and potential resources available.
“We just didn’t have a leg up on how to work the system and be a part of the system,” she said.
It wasn’t until the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010 that Young-Daniels began to learn more about the American healthcare system and felt inspired to make an impact on her own.
She founded Black Health Matters, an online health promotion and disease management platform that will hold its 2025 Winter Expo at the Loudermilk Conference Center on Saturday, Feb. 22
The six-hour seminar will include panel discussions and resources available to help Black residents become familiar with the medical system and ways to improve health literacy.
The event and the health screenings will be free of charge. According to Young-Daniels, the “blueprint for health” will screen participants for over 25 different diseases and mail a booklet that highlights health risks and diseases to watch out for.
“We’re going to talk about kidney disease, sickle cell disease, Black women and HIV and prostate cancer,” she said. “We’re putting on the table, front and center, diseases that don’t get oxygen in mainstream media or in mainstream community. We’re laser-focused on chronic diseases that affect [the Black community] most.”
The BHM founder says that racial prejudice and discrimination have played a significant role in the lack of resources and information given to African Americans involving healthcare.
The expo will also focus on improving mental health, something that she still notes as culturally taboo today.
“It’s fascinating that if you break your arm, people will say, ‘Oh my gosh, put your arm in a socket,’ or they’ll give you a bandaid, but if you’re not doing well [mentally or emotionally], we kind of just push it to the side and hope for the best,” she said.
“The culture and trauma that we live through, that’s not over for us, and the headlines don’t really help, but that doesn’t mean that we should stay down. That we shouldn’t raise our hand and ask for support and be vulnerable.”
Young-Daniels said her biggest hope is for attendees to walk away feeling empowered to take ownership of their health.
She understands that while the subject matter may be overwhelming, learning what to look out for is the first step to living a happier life.
“As we always say, ‘hope is not a strategy,'” she said. “You have to take time out to prioritize your health.”
