Health, education from Ethiopian nation

The college recently played host to an important cultural education event. Members of the Kansas City Ethiopian community gathered in the Regnier Center on April 11 for the Kansas City Ethiopian Connection Group’s (ECG) first convention.

The ECG, which was founded by members of the community in February, hosted a series of seminars for Ethiopian- Americans on topics including education, health and employment. “[We] pretty much just formed with the idea of keeping [Ethiopian immigrant relations] going for the future,” Kristina Roble, ECG member, said. “The group didn’t exist until February of 2009. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of people that showed up.”

The health seminar was a focus of events. It was conducted by Girma Assefa, M.D., and Samuel Teferra, M.D., of Raytown, Mo, and their medical assistants. “The main [goal] today is to pass on information about health and get [the members of the community] informed and tell them what to expect when they see a physician,” Assefa said. “There are a lot of immigrants that do not have health insurance.

Also, sadly, there are also a lot of people who have insurance but never see their doctor. We have to change that trend.” During the seminar, Assefa and Teferra, both Ethiopian immigrants themselves, discussed the nature of several common medical issues. Topics included treatment of diabetes, heart disease and cholesterol problems, as well as the value of exercise and a healthy diet.

The seminar was given in English and Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia. In the free clinic that was hosted after the seminar, Assefa and Teferra conducted diabetes screening and blood pressure measurement. They also provided advice to anyone seeking to obtain a personal physician.

“This event is the first of its kind that we have organized,” Dawit Dikran, ECG member, said. “We give thanks to the college, which was able to provide us with the resources we need.”