Wasdhington, June 30: First lady Michelle Obama visited a local health clinic in Washington on Tuesday in an effort to focus attention on preventable scourges such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure that disproportionately afflict African-American and Hispanic communities.
Mrs. Obama called Unity Health Care’s Upper Cardozo Center, and clinics like it, a “vital component” of the health care system, places where millions of poor and uninsured people receive preventive care and medical care and avoid costly visits to local emergency rooms.
“They stay out of the hospital,’’ Mrs. Obama said of the clinic’s clients, who include the uninsured, the homeless and immigrant families from Latin American and African countries. “They stay out of the emergency room. They stay on the job and in school instead.”
The first lady promoted her husband’s economic stimulus legislation, which passed in February and included $851 million for the expansion and rehabilitation of such clinics. The money, she said, will “dramatically improve the immediate and long-term health of our people.”
“Community health centers provide care to the Americans who need it most and their work has never been more important,” she said. “These grants will help Unity’s Upper Cardozo and thousands of centers across the country expand and serve more Americans who simply can’t afford insurance coverage anymore.”
Mrs. Obama has concentrated her efforts on promoting healthier living and eating, using her garden at the White House to highlight the importance of fruits and vegetables in daily diets, particularly those of young children. She praised the Unity Health clinic for promoting better nutrition, weight-loss and healthier cooking among its clients.
