PAHOKEE — On Feb. 3, 2024, the Empower Healthcare clinic in Pahokee, partnered with Healthier Glades, a Palm Health Foundation initiative, for “Know Your Numbers by Heart,” a special event to promote heart health during American Heart Month. Fifty attendees came to the Senior Resource Room in Pahokee for rapid A1C and cholesterol screenings, nutritional counseling, live CPR demonstrations, and education about preventing heart disease. Testing and information were provided by seventeen community partners, including the American Heart Association, Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, and the Diabetes Coalition of Palm Beach County.

According to the 2022 Palm Beach County, Florida Community Health Assessment, heart disease was the leading cause of death in Palm Beach County. What’s more, Black Americans—the majority in Pahokee—are 54% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than White Americans, due to distinct risk factors like genetics and systemic disparities.

Empower Health, under the leadership of its founder Dr. Jinga Oglesby-Brihm, has been focused on comprehensive and innovative chronic disease management for the rural Glades community since the clinic opened on the campus of First United Methodist Church in 2022. The heart health event is one of many ways she integrates local and county partners to improve patient health education and access to care. “We are grateful for the opportunity to connect with the community to provide free potentially lifesaving screenings and educational sessions,” she said.

Healthier Glades and Palm Health Foundation have invested in Dr. Oglesby-Brihm to support her goal to “break the chains of healthcare disparity.” A Healthier Glades mini-grant provided funding to deliver healthcare services through churches in the Glades, and a Palm Health Foundation scholarship supported her doctoral studies at FAU College of Nursing, her first exposure to the Glades’ healthcare disparities.

Dr. Oglesby-Brihm’s comprehensive, innovative care for the rural Glades community has also captured national recognition. She placed second in the American Heart Association’s 2022 Empowered to Serve Business Accelerator, awarding her training and a grant of $25,000 to help her grow her health clinic.

“Dr. Oglesby-Brihm and Empower Healthcare are building a culture of health in the Glades by building trust,” said Annie Ifill, Healthier Glades project director. “Her love of the people of our region and her approach to delivering health and services through her clinic and out in the community through events like “Know Your Numbers by Heart,” are helping to overcome disparities and lead the way to a better quality of life.”