Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade and Festival to add health pavilion
OGONTZ - The Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade and Festival will also feature a health pavilion. It’s in partnership with a Philadelphia cardiologist who is on a mission to change the way health care is approached.
"My heart is in healthcare, not sick care," stated Dr. Sanul Corrielus, with Corrielus Cardiology.
Dr. Corrielus says his passion for healthcare ignited after witnessing his father’s own battle with heart disease.
"My dad was living here long before me. I was in Haiti and then we got reacquainted," Dr. Corrielus explained. "A year later, he died of heart disease. It was as if he was in a war and he did not know how to defend himself."
Dr. Corrielus completed his medical studies and training at the University of Rochester, Temple University and Howard University, bhut, ultimately, followed his heart, opening a neighborhood practice called Corrielus Cardiology.
"Heart disease, we know is a lifestyle disease. There is no question about it," Dr. Corrielus said. "Not only be in the community, but look like the community they’re caring for."
Corrielus Cardiology has been in the Ogontz neighborhood for nearly a decade and, in those years, Dr. Corrielus has touched the lives of more than 5,000 people who’ve stopped by his practice.
He says his practice focuses on outreach with community and faith-based organizations, empowerment through education and connecting people to care. "I can tell you, in Philadelphia, there’s close to 100,000 Black men in the community who are working along with heart disease, unknowingly."
On Sunday, Corrielus Cardiology is partnering with the Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade and Festival to offer free screenings at the event’s first ever health pavilion.
"We’re going to be doing screening for high blood pressure," Dr. Corrielus stated. "We’re doing screening for our echocardiogram carotid. We’re going to help people see their own arteries."
Amplifying his message the best health care is self-care, empowering people to build on their health now. "I see my dad in the eyes of every one of my patients."