April is National Minority Health Month, and Cleveland’s E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home wants to help you get involved! Advocating for your own health and wellness, as well as the well-being of your community, is an important first step in achieving optimal health. E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home will be there to provide their services for you and your loved ones when the time comes, but they are more than willing to wait. In the meantime, the caring, compassionate staff at E.F. Boyd wishes for you to lead a long, happy, healthful life!

National Minority Health Month is sponsored by the Office of Minority Health (OMH), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Per the OMH website, “the Office is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.” That’s a mouthful, as well as an ambitious task, but they’re on the right track.

National Minority Health Month itself actually pre-dates the Office of Minority Health. OMH was created in 1986, while National Minority Health Month grew out of an initiative by Dr. Booker T. Washington in April 1915. His proposed “National Negro Health Week” has grown into National Minority Health Month, which encompasses not only African Americans, but also Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians, and natives of Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands.

Each year, Cleveland Clinic hosts a health fair during National Minority Health Month. This year will be the 10th Annual Minority Men’s Health Fair, and it will be held on Thursday, April 26th from 5:30-8:30pm. E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is pleased to have participated in this event for the past several years, and this year is no exception. Look for more information about the 10th Annual Minority Men’s Health Fair as the date approaches!

The theme for 2012’s National Minority Health Month is “Health Equity Can’t Wait: Act Now in Your CommUNITY!” This is precisely what E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home wants to promote: the importance of acting as both individuals and as a community to work toward the common goal of better health. Many preventative measures, like balanced diet and regular exercise, are easier to maintain when you have a support system. You can also work together to find solutions to common challenges.

National Minority Health Month does more than just open a forum and resources for those who are already suffering from health disparities. It also raises awareness of the problem among other communities who may not be aware of their own neighbors’ struggles. This new awareness can lead to increased support and interaction, and move one step closer to closing the gap.

E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home in Cleveland offers so much more than just funeral services. On their website, you can find links to information about healthcare services for senior citizens or those living with disabilities, such as the Social Security Administration, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veterans Administration.

Some funeral homes are solely concerned with your final wishes, but E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home cares about your life! Celebrate National Minority Health Month with them by joining them at Cleveland’s 10th Annual Minority Men’s Health Fair and taking part in other events in surrounding communities, such as the OCCHA 2012 Minority Health Month event in Youngstown on April 16th or the Nursing Career Open House on April 18th at the East Cleveland Public Library. Look for a complete calendar of events on the National Minority Health Month website (minorityhealth.hhs.gov).

To find out more about E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home in Cleveland, Ohio, visit them online at www.EFBoyd.com or contact them by phone at 216.791.0770.