North Minneapolis block party places emphasis on physical, mental health

MINNEAPOLIS -- Thousands made their way through north Minneapolis' North Broadway Avenue Saturday morning and afternoon for a festival the first of its kind.

"Live Your Healthy Lyfe" brought together health partners like Children's Minnesota, North Memorial Health, Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, among others, with the goal of bridging the gap between health providers and underserved communities.

"There's so many people that don't know a lot about health, how to maintain. There's been a lack of trust amongst the community and clinics and hospitals, so we're trying to bring it back," said organizer LaTasha Sims.

"There's a lot of things that are plaguing us, like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension. There's a lot of things that we're faced with, and we're not going to get it checked out," Sims said.

Healthcare providers demonstrated how to apply tourniquets, administer Narcan and more.

"Our presence here is something that we're hoping will convey that we're here for people in the community," said Dr. Tammy Sinkfield-Morey of Gillette Children's. "That we're here for our Black and Brown kids, their parents, their families, and we're here for their well-being."

"Being in spaces like this and getting the awareness out there (is our goal)," said Latosia Erickson, a Registered Nurse at Gillette Children's. "Like you might have different situations that are happening, but you have different people who look like you in these different areas that you need to go in, to see that we're here and we're willing to help."

Sims says organizers hope the make the event a yearly occurrence.