Leggy models strutting down the runway in red stilettos and dressed in fashions by local designers will be the eye candy that gets people to the Red Shoe Extravaganza on Saturday at The Metroplex. The purpose of the show, which is being put on by the Arkansas Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Association (AMDPA), is to learn something about and raise money to address childhood obesity.
The father and son team of Dr. Derek Lewis and Derek Lewis II are the president and interim director of the association, respectively.
“This is a fashion show with a purpose,” says son Derek Lewis.
Arkansas ranks third in the nation for obesity, explains Dr. Lewis, owner of and family practice physician at Arkansas Primary Care. Obesity leads to diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease.
When studying the demographics of the minority population, at the under-served and the underprivileged populations, adds his son, the percentages are higher.
“Those are the patients that come and see my father,” Derek Lewis says, “so we see the population, and this is our way of giving back.”
Founded in 1893, the association is a professional organization for minorities in the dental, medical and pharmaceutical field. Along with offering minority health providers a ready network, it was organized to provide quality health-care services, health advocacy and leadership to underprivileged and under-served communities in Arkansas. Membership is expanding beyond minorities however, Derek Lewis says, because “health care disparity doesn’t have a color.”
Another important aspect of the Arkansas Medical Dental Pharmaceutical Association is education and advocacy, says its director. It’s “educating the general public, educating our members and educating future health-care providers.”
A yearly scientific session for members, with speakers from across the country, provides continuing education. “We talk about public health and community health. We talk about the practical side of medicine - how we take what we learn from the scientific session and deliver that back to the patient level,” Derek Lewis says.
Future health-care providers are given a hand with scholarships and mentoring from members. And health fairs, fitness camps and the Red Shoe event are ways the organization offers education to the public.
Dr. Lewis says the group also works closely with community partners such as the Minority Healthcare Commission and the Governor’s Office “so we can come up with ways to get people healthier.” For instance, he says, they are studying the Delta and its limited access to medical care and trying to find ways to get patients who live in rural areas to a doctor’s office.
Interviews with some of the group’s community partners will be a new part of this year’s show. “I think the really neat thing we are doing this year is weaving in the message of childhood obesity,” Derek Lewis says.“We are going to creatively talk about childhood obesity in a way that won’t dull the show.”
He says that after last year’s maiden outing, they looked at “how can we engage our members more, how can we bring our community partners in and how can we highlight and weave in the message of childhood obesity in a way that is transparent and engaging. This year we have a little more experience on what we want to present to the public.”
So the fashionable fun part? The event will have a 1920s Gatsby feel to it, says Derek Lewis. There will be a VIP lounge that will be “Gatsby-ed out” with champagne, a specialty 1920s cocktail and models in flapper dresses.
“Linda Rowe Thomas is back. She will be our featured designer.” Others are Nicole McGehee, YiMinx as well as styles from local boutiques and shoe stores. Music will be by Rodney Block and the Real Music Lovers.
Association members are also actively involved in the show. The Dancing Docs will be back, and this year The Divas of the AMDPA - female members or the wives of members - will be modeling.
A new venue this year will accommodate a larger crowd and hopefully more funding. “I’d like to raise about $20,000,” says Derek Lewis, with money going to the association’s Walking Away From Obesity Initiative.
“This will infuse the summer camp which we think is a long-term project, particularly with the summer being a lax time for kids. We’ll team up with the Timmons Art Foundation. We are going to be doing youth fitness camps. The Timmons side will bring in art, music and dance and we are going to combine that with health and wellness.”
The money will also go toward Bikes for Kids, Derek Lewis says, which started in central Arkansas and now also gives bicycles to children in the Delta.
Tickets to the Red Shoe Extravaganza on Feb. 1 at the Metroplex are $100 for VIP access or $50 general admission.They can be bought at tinyurl.com/ n4mh6y3. For more information about the event, the obesity initiative or the AMDPA call Derek J. Lewis II at (501) 265-0156.
High Profile, Pages 33 on 01/26/2014