Having a clear and positive mental head space is the first step toward maintaining a healthy body.
During the Elevate Your Health Health Empowerment Expo, attendees will learn new ways to stay healthy as they sit in on a panel discussion, participate in fitness sessions, get a mammogram and more from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 25 at Lake Square Mall, 10401 U.S. Hwy. 441, Leesburg.
Yvette Nicholson, event organizer and owner of YvettEvents and Co., worked as a social worker for 20 years in Lake, Orange and Leon counties when she noticed the importance of people keeping in touch with their mental health just as much as their physical health.
“What I learned working with the elderly is that they have a tendency to isolate themselves,” Nicholson said.
She said her goal in hosting the expo is to bring a health-focused event to Lake County to connect residents to the different organizations and agencies available in the area.
“I’m hoping people come out and connect with others to know what they have access to and so they have a sense of community. Whether they are into holistic, medicinal or pharmaceutical medicine, I want people to know the resources available to them,” Nicholson said.
The panel discussion is scheduled to bring in eight health professions in the fields of mental health, physical therapy and more.
The health portion of the panel will focus on what it means to eat healthy, what foods to eat to take care of yourself and how to lose weight in a healthy way. The mental health portion will look at the importance of therapy, socialization and community.
Dr. Letitia Browne-James, mental health counselor
and founder of Victorious Living Counseling and Consulting, will be among the health professionals on the panel.
“The mind, heart and body are all connected,” Browne-James said. “We should normalize focusing on your mental health and understanding it is a part of our overall wellness.”
Those who attend the panel discussion will receive a ticket to participate in a raffle giveaway of a $25 gift card and other prizes sponsored by local businesses.
The expo will feature about 20 health and food vendors. Euphoria Yoga and United Boxing Club, both Leesburg-based businesses, will lead fitness sessions. And the 3D Mobile Mammography Bus will provide 3D X-rays for early breast cancer detection.
Participants should bring a photo ID and insurance card for a screening, which lasts about 10 minutes. Results will be available the same day. Dr. Ryan Polselli, a breast imaging radiologist, said appointments are open to everyone and no one gets turned away. All forms of insurance are accepted for the screenings. Individuals without insurance can pay a cash fee of $180.
Women who are 40 years and older are encouraged to get a mammogram every other year, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
“People say early detection is key and it is true,” Polselli said. “This makes it so easy for people to actually get mammograms, so the compliance rate
goes up. Because we try to return to the same spots every year, it reminds people, ‘Oh yeah, it’s time to get my appointment for the year.’”
Nicholson said she hopes with the various physical and mental health organizations participating in the expo, people are able to find information that would help improve their lives. “I want the community to know what it means to be the best version of yourself,” she said. “If your at peace of mind, you can then focus on your own health.”
For more information about the free event, visit lakesquaremall.com or email EYHExpo@gmail.com.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com or 352-753-1119, ext. 5414
