June marked Men’s Health Month. Senators in the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus discussed various topics impacting men’s health during a virtual town hall to bring more awareness to the cause. Inspired by the signing of House Bill 4589 creating a Men’s Health Division in the Illinois Department of Public Health, the senators were empowered to speak on how Illinois supports healthy communities.

State Senators Napoleon Harris III, Robert Peters and Elgie Sims R. Sims, Jr. discussed the importance of prostate cancer awareness, telehealth opportunities, going to the doctor and much more. The event was moderated by fellow Illinois Legislative Black Caucus member State Senator Christopher Belt.

The full video can be watched here:

*Please note, in this segment, members mention the 988 hotline as a resource for those experiencing a mental health crisis. That hotline goes live July 16.

Shorter segments of the discussion can also be viewed as follows:

“Many of us grew up with that philosophy that we can’t cry and that we have to fight through our pain,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “All those things take away from us then we pass those practices on to our kids. That’s the type of thing we have to break.”

“There’s a serious crisis when it comes to mental health, “said Peters (D-Chicago). “Access to therapy can be hard to find, especially when there aren’t many therapists who look like you or who can understand your lived experience.”

“When you have the ability to know and understand what the underlying symptoms are, it can help you,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “We can’t be afraid to be vulnerable and we can’t be afraid to be focused on our overall health.”

 “Access to telehealth is key. House Bill 3308 provided just that,” said Harris (D-Harvey). “This legislation opened up access not only to the African American community, but to all communities, creating the ability to connect with your primary care physician via communication devices.”