On Thursday, March 31, 2016, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Community Health Program hosted a Women's Health Expo at the St. Regis Recreation. The Expo took place from 11am to 3pm and the first 100 people through the door received a free healthy lunch catered by Big Russ's. Many information booths and different vendors catering to women's wellness were set up at the event. 2012 was the last time the Community Health Program hosted the Women's Health Expo in Akwesasne. At the 2012 event about 150 people attended. Diane King welcomed everyone to the 2016 Expo and expressed that women usually put themselves last, therefore the event was created as a way to expose women to vital information regarding health and wellness. The Expo allowed women to take time from their busy schedule to learn and gain valuable knowledge.

Booths at the event offered information relating to stress management and depression, immunization information, traditional medicine, drug abuse, nutrition, blood sugar testing, blood pressure readings, information regarding wills and quit smoking information, just to name a few. The Expo also had a scheduled set of speakers who presented at the event. The Champlain Regional Cancer Center Program, part of Cancer Care Ontario, presented on the "Importance of Cancer Screening for Women." The presentation highlighted breast, cervical and colorectal cancers. The importance of regular screenings was stressed by the presenter. Symptoms can be found early with regular screening which makes for easier treatment. Cancer Care Ontario encouraged women in the audience to spread the word about the importance of regular screening and sharing the valuable information they learned at the Expo with other family and friends.

Dr. Ojistoh Horn spoke about "Women's Issues" for her presentation. The presentation emphasized the importance of dealing with stress in a positive way to balance the body, because oftentimes the body is compensating for issues that go unaddressed. Compensation caused by stress is bad for the overall health and well-being because over time this stress develops into other diseases that can be detrimental. She encouraged women to consider their current state of being to help them identify where they may be experiencing stress or body compensation. She then told women to make small positive changes to help deal with the stresses without medications or other addictions. Walking, stretching and deep breathing were just some positive examples Dr. Ojistoh Horn suggested to women dealing with stress, because these habits would be beneficial over a lifetime. Dr. Ojistoh Horn also spoke about the Akwesasne Medical Clinic and the services that she offers to the community. She also discussed some of the trends she has seen with her work regarding women's health in Kahnawake and Akwesasne. She emphasized how important it is that Mohawk women take care of their health and that there is no need to be shy or embarrassed about women's health issues.

Following the two presentations, Shannon Hall conducted a Tai-Chi demonstration and spoke about the benefits of the traditional Chinese martial art. Tai-Chi is healthy because it provides psychological health benefits, it relieves stress, and it works to improve physical balance. Tai-Chi is also beneficial for heart health, because it lowers the heart rate, blood pressure, while increasing circulation by dilating the blood vessels. Additional benefits include the boosting of immune health and it eliminates waste and toxins and carries specialized cells to fight disease. The Tai-Chi demonstration got women up off their chairs as Shannon Hall went through the basic Tai-Chi moves. Almost all the people in the room participated in the basic Tai-Chi instruction. Shannon Hall plans on having Tai-Chi sessions in Generations Park this summer.

Cancer Care Ontario presenting the "Importance of Cancer Screening for Women."

The Women's Health Expo hosted by the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Community Health Program was very necessary and informational. Women should be able to have easy and regular access to this type of information daily and when needed. The Women's Health Expo allowed community members to interact with very knowledgeable people and provided access to important programs that serve the community of Akwesasne. It's important that women stay healthy for their own benefit, as well as for their family and friends. This involves taking time to assess and consider the current balance of mind, body and spirit. Another aspect to this involves attending regular breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings. Whether woman or man, we are all human and health and well-being should be a priority throughout our lifetime.