Health
Access to quality health care, and health education, is a basic human right. Part of Colorado African Organization’s goal is to ensure that every African immigrant and refugee in our state has access to the physicians, medications, and knowledge that are enjoyed by the rest of the population.
By facilitating access to healthcare professionals, educating the community about disease risk, preventive factors, and healthy behaviors, translating and helping to explain treatment and insurance options, and being sure that families are informed about healthy choices, CAO works to prevent illness and disease within the community – while ensuring that Africans have the opportunity to lead happy, healthy lives.
These programs include:
Preventive health education sessions.
Held at churches, mosques, and community centers, these sessions educate Africans in Colorado on the diseases and ailments that affect them most commonly as they integrate into the American lifestyle, including diabetes and obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Interpreters and handouts are provided at each session, so that even those families with limited English speaking ability can benefit from the information and advice presented.
If you would like to schedule one of these sessions in the Denver metro area, call the CAO offices at 303 953 7060 and ask for Dr. Oumar. You can also email Dr. Oumar at oumaro@caoden.org
Community health workers (CHW).
The CHW program seeks to support underserved communities by having peers educate each other on disease prevention and healthy lifestyle choices. Colorado African Organization has CHWs from over 14 different African nations, speaking over 20 different languages, who conduct monthly workshops on health awareness and disease education as well as topics such as visiting a doctor, going to a hospital, and applying for Medicare and CHP+.
If you would like to join a CHW group, please call the CAO offices at 303 953 7060 and ask for Dr. Oumar. You can also email Dr. Oumar at oumaro@caoden.org.
Or, if you are interested in volunteering to teach a skill to the CHWs and their peers, please contact Kit Taintor at kitt@caoden.org.
HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education
While HIV/AIDS tests used to be mandatory prior to entry into the United States, that requirement has been waived in recent years. This development has been a major victory for human rights, but has also made it possible for individuals from countries with few testing facilities to relocate to Colorado without knowing their HIV status. While programs aimed at awareness of the disease are prevalent on the African continent, the low infection rates in the US make HIV/AIDS seem like a minor issue, when in reality for most immigrants it is still a major threat. Many Africans in Colorado need further education about HIV/AIDS to increase their knowledge of the disease and dispel myths, as well as information on testing and treatment access points.
CAO is working within African communities throughout Colorado to assist in testing, treatment, and awareness of HIV/AIDS. To find out more, please call the CAO offices at 303 953 7060 and ask for Dr. Oumar. You can also email Dr. Oumar at oumaro@caoden.org.