CHAMPS

CHAMPS’ mission is to promote and raise awareness on the importance of early detection and prevention concerning men’s health issues, especially in the area of prostate cancer.  CHAMPS exists to assist the underserved population in the Metro-Atlanta area, and to eradicate health disparities.  Although our goal is lofty, we sincerely believe that with education, awareness, and prevention as our tools, we are able to provide community members with opportunities to learn about health promoting behaviors and to make effective healthy lifestyle changes.  

CHAMPS was founded by Dr. James K. Bennett, who recognized the stark reality of the state of men’s health. The first CHAMPS Health Summit, held in 1990, began as a small event gathering healthcare professionals wishing to help their community.  Since then, CHAMPS has experienced strong, steady growth. Today, the yearly summit is a huge collective effort pulling together a group of health and wellness professionals who offer their services to hundreds of people in the community, free of charge. The event serves community members who might not otherwise have access to these essential health services, which provide help and offer life-saving information. In addition to the summit, CHAMPS now offers a year-round monthly Healthy Clinic, which offers participants free tests and screenings for COVID-19, PSA, Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, Diabetes etc.

In addition to the yearly health summit and the monthly clinics, CHAMPS works to help men take charge of their own lives and their health through education. In 2018, the organization launched “What’s Up Down There,” a play based entirely on the real-life stories of prostate cancer survivors and their loved ones. The play is at times hilarious, at others tragic, but at all times an entertaining, educational experience for the spectator. “What’s Up Down There” is written by acclaimed playwright Janece Schaffer and created by Tony- Award-winning director Kenny Leon. The play has been met with great enthusiasm and has received raving reviews from different audiences.

As a further attempt to empower men by making them more knowledgeable about their own health, CHAMPS began distributing its own quarterly publication “Lifeline” in 2020. The newsletter works to educate men on the most common health issues potentially facing them, along with advice on how to prevent them. “Lifeline” also provides its readers with an update on the latest with the organization. “Lifeline” is available at partnering churches and barbershops around Metro-Atlanta.  

CHAMPS’ work has been recognized in the academic arena. Marcus Gresham, a student of Dartmouth College and a former intern with CHAMPS, wrote a research paper titled “Black Health and Black Housing: How Neighborhood Racial Composition Shapes Health Behaviors Among Underserved Black Men in Atlanta, GA.” Gresham’s study looked at “redlining”—the practice whereby banks discriminated against the inhabitants of certain neighborhoods—and found that the use of this practice correlated well with the health disparities in the underserved communities. 

CHAMPS’ work is supported by private and public funding through charitable giving. The organization partners with, among others, the NFL Players’ Association, Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, Clark Atlanta University and its Health Professions Advising Unit, as well as other local and national companies, organizations, and nonprofits.