FORT WORTH, Texas ― In every passing person, Tara Robinson saw herself – a potential health crisis wrapped in the guise of someone just going about their daily business.
“Come get your heart checked!” Robinson beckoned to passersby on a cool, sunny morning in Fort Worth, Texas, where the Black Heart Association , the nonprofit she runs with her husband, Fredrick, had stationed the mobile testing unit they call “Cardi V” at a community health festival in the low-income neighborhood where she grew up.
Five years ago, a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center analysis cited this 76104 ZIP code ― which comprises nearly six square miles to the south of downtown Fort Worth ―as the area with Texas’ lowest life expectancy, at just 66.7 years.
Folks like 64-year-old James Nellums stopped by for heart readings along with tests for glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Recently diagnosed with diabetes , Nellums said the condition kept him constantly awake, triggering high blood sugar levels or the frequent urge to urinate.