The Black Belt is no stranger to health problems. It is now a well-known fact that our area ranks as one of the worst parts of the nation when it comes to several major health issues, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Over time, the effect of rankings and statistics has worn off. Nowadays, Black Belt residents would be surprised if any good news was published about the health of our friends and neighbors.

It is time to stop thanking God for Mississippi and do something about our terrible health.

Ideally, we would all change our lifestyle and culture to be more healthy, but that’s just not possible. We all enjoy the benefits of Southern culture, but we need to recognize that not all aspects of our culture are as sweet as our tea.

Let’s start by taking baby steps. You have to walk before you can run, anyway.

There are several events coming up in the near future that promote health and wellness, such as the health fair at the Selma Convention Center Thursday.

At the fair, people will have the chance to take advantage of completely free HIV and STD testing.

This is an opportunity that should not be missed. People should be flocking to the convention center, not just for the free food, live music, T-shirts and giveaways, but also for the rare opportunity to start taking an active role in the overall health of Dallas County.

There will be other events like this in the future, and we should all be just as excited about health care resources being offered as we are about free stuff.

The efforts of the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Black AIDS Institute deserve to be applauded because this one event is just a small part of the important work that needs to be done in our area.

It is time to take control of our dire health situation, and attending events like the health fair is just one easy way to get started.