HOUSTON – A town hall meeting at the Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center tonight will focus on educating residents about clinical research opportunities and healthcare options, building on a free cancer screening initiative that launched earlier this year following the discovery of a cancer cluster in the area.
The expanded screening program aims to provide potentially life-saving early detection services to more Houston residents, with a particular focus on the Fifth Ward and other surrounding communities where environmental health concerns have sparked increased attention.
“You can’t tell people to do something and you’re not a part of it. That doesn’t look right,” says Sandra Edwards, a Fifth Ward resident who recently participated in the screening program and now advocates for broader community participation.
Edwards, who admits to being afraid of needles, emphasizes the importance of overcoming such fears. “I’m scared of needles but eventually I started thinking, ‘this will save your life.’”
The screening initiative, coordinated by Houston City Council member Dr. Letitia Plummer in partnership with the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), offers comprehensive blood analysis that can detect various types of cancer.
“We’ve brought the National Minority Quality Forum to conduct blood screenings for early detection of cancer through a cancer initiative,” explains Dr. Plummer.
A key focus of tonight’s town hall will be discussing the importance of clinical research and trials within communities of color.
Dr. Plummer highlights a critical healthcare disparity.
“What we have to understand is that for medications to work on us, our biology, people of color, we have to be in trials because otherwise when you’re prescribed a medication, the opportunity of that medication working on you could be as low as 20 percent,” Dr. Plummer added.
For advocates like Edwards, the initiative represents more than just medical screening—it’s about changing the narrative in a community that has faced significant health challenges.
“Every time I get a call it’s a death. I want to hear something positive for a change,” she says. “I want to be on the other end of that call and say hey, you know what, so and so had cancer but guess what—she’s in remission.”
The town hall meeting runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center.
Residents unable to attend can still participate in the screening program by contacting the Grace Clinic at 713-993-6000 for more information about enrollment and scheduling.
You can click here to check eligibility
