Office of Outreach and Health Disparities - Community Collaborations
You are What You Eat: Toni the Healthy Eating Cart
The Office of Outreach and Health Disparities partnered with students from the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions, under the supervision of their art teacher, Treena Rowan, and renowned artist and health professional, Shelley Buschur to design and decorate a unique golf cart to take part in the Art Car Parade. The students enrolled in the art class came up with a theme that promotes healthy eating to decrease the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. The car has a variety of fruits and vegetables attached to the golf cart and is topped off with a cabbage head. It made its first apperance May 7.
Toni the Healthy Eating Cart has made several appearances throughout the greater Houston area to include Main Street Drag, the Art Car Sneak Peek, and at Neighborhood Centers Baker Ripley.
Educando a Papá – A play in Spanish about colorectal cancer
View a copy of the play program.
Anita is about to graduate, the first in her family to do so. Now she would like to share what he has learned through her beautiful songs. But the one who really needs an education is her father. Can Anita convince her papá to make the most important decision of his life? Educando a Papá is a play for Spanish-speaking audiences written by local playwright Adelina Venegas. It provides information about colon cancer screening using heart-felt emotion, music, and humor.
The playwright, Adelina Venegas, was born in Monterrey, Mexico. She began acting at the age of 12 and since then it has become her passion. After emigrating to the U.S., she joined various acting groups and in 1997, she formed “Somos Todos.” The goal was to create a Hispanic theater group to bring messages of interest about culture and society to the community. She has been a scriptwriter for several TV programs and on a Telenovela, and has written and directed six plays, the latest one “Educando a Papá.”
Images from the performance at Acres Home Multi-Service Center, Nov. 13, 2008.
The Marriage Test – A play about colorectal cancer
View a copy of the play program.
The Marriage Test was produced to educate the public about colorectal cancer in an entertaining and humorous way, while at the same time informing people about the importance of early screening and detection. It was about one family’s emotional reactions in learning that loved ones had been diagnosed with the disease. The play reveals how they react to this life-altering news and how they deal with the choices they must make about their lives and health with strength, humor, and wisdom.
The playwright, Thomas Meloncon, is a native Houstonian nationally known for his many plays and three books of poetry. He has been honored with numerous awards, including a Bronze Medallion from the City of Houston for his off-Broadway debut of The Diary of a Black Man. Mr. Meloncon has produced a variety of works for the American Cancer Society, the Houston Area Women’s Shelter, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the African American Healthy Marriage Initiative, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
To contact Mr. Meloncon about this play and other educational plays he has written, please e-mail him at truscripts@aol.com or send a letter to:
Thomas Meloncon
P.O. Box 330881
Houston, TX 77233-0881
Images from 2008 Performances
Post-performance (from left to right): Dr. Glori Chauca, OOHD Outreach Officer; Dr. Stephen Scott, "Talk Back panelist and physician in Family and Community Medicine; Thomas Meloncon, playwright, Ted Yank, Associate Director of Administration for the Dan L. Duncan Center.
Zoot Suit Boogie--A bilingual play about colorectal cancer
Through hip-hop music, athletic entertainment, and music, Zoot Suit Boogie presented information for bilingual Hispanic audiences about colorectal cancer. The performance offers a humorous way to learn the facts about an important health issue.
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The playwright, Richard Reyes, created the play "Pancho Claus" 28 years ago. As an actor and director, he has shared his talents with many theatres in Houston including the Alley Theater, the Main Street Theater, Stages, and the Ensemble Theater. He has also performed readings with the Houston symphony. He has been President and on the board of many organizations including, the Cultural Arts Council of Houston, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Multicultural Arts Council of Houston, LULAC Council 60, and the Calvin Owens Blues Foundation. His honors include the Houston Press Hero's Award, Channel 13 Person of the Week, and the LULAC Hispanic Excellence in America award.
Recognition from The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
OOHD has been recognized by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. In the Kaiser Health Disparities Report: A Weekly Look At Race, Ethnicity and Health, the Kaiser Foundation drew attention to OOHD's latest endeavor.
Houston: Baylor College of Medicine's Office of Outreach and Health Disparities on Thursday sponsored a play called "Zoot Suit Boogie" that featured humorous and educational cancer prevention messages targeting the Hispanic community. Colorectal cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among Hispanics. The play presented bilingual information on prevention, risks, and awareness of the disease and was followed by a question and answer period led by Brian Reed, vice chair for community health and an assistant professor of family and community medicine at BCM (BCM release, March 13).
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=57603In