United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties aims to demonstrate its focus on building a strong and healthy community by hosting a Health and Wellness Summit this summer. In partnership with affinity group Women United, UWLS is hosting the event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 22 at the Father’s House Church in Leesburg.

This event is a priority of UWLS’ Together for Health and Wellness program, which presents an integrated strategy and approach by providing individuals who are under or uninsured with no-cost physical, dental, and mental health services, aimed at erasing the barriers to payment and access. The summit will connect local residents to FREE, needed health and wellness resources. The family-friendly event will feature many health screenings, services, speakers and information, including: physicals, blood-sugar testing, dementia screenings, lactation specialist, liver screenings, a nutritionist, fitness with yoga instruction, and more.

The two featured speakers for the event are Jennie Joseph, Owner of Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery; and Cendie Stanford, CEO and Founder of ACEs Matter (Adverse Childhood Experiences Matter). Joseph will discuss maternal health issues, including the racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes nationally and locally.

For every 1,000 delivery hospitalizations in Lake County, 24.2 Black women experience severe maternal morbidity, or complications that can lead to negative outcomes for the woman and the infant. This is significantly higher than the 16.7 per 1,000 of all women in the county. UWLS is committed to addressing this issue, starting with events like this summit.

Stanford’s work is focused on the effects of childhood trauma on the brain and how to heal. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) research reveals that 125 million (60%) American adults experienced at least one traumatic event (ACE) as a child, and another 52 million (25%) adults have experienced 3 or more traumatic events (ACEs), likely an underestimate.

Those who would like to attend should RSVP at uwls.org/2024-hws/ Sponsorship opportunities are now available for this event, with several investment levels to choose from with increasing incentives to the sponsor. For more information about sponsoring, visit uwls.org/hws-sponsorship/.