"PEACE of Heart" Campaign Comes to Metro Washington to Help Fight
Heart Disease Epidemic among Minorities
Hallmark of Campaign's Health Screening Events Is Personalized
Follow-Up
WASHINGTON (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) September 25, 2008 --
The PEACE
of Heart campaign today came to Washington, D.C. and Maryland,
launching a third preventive health screening and educational event as
part of a national initiative to fight the epidemic of heart disease
afflicting African Americans, low-income minority groups and other
medically underserved communities. The campaign inspires people to lead
heart-healthy lives through preventive screenings, education and
hands-on support.
The goal is to move beyond mere screening and connect people with a
physician to urge preventive steps that promote healthy lives.
Participants will be encouraged to establish a “medical
home” at a community health center or
elsewhere. PEACE of Heart is also unique because of the personalized
follow-up that happens the week after each screening to share screening
results and again after about 90 days to ensure participants are
adhering to any recommended treatment program. The acronym ‘PEACE’
encapsulates the core elements of the program: Partnership, Evaluation,
Action, Community and Education.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States,
and is the number one killer of African Americans and Hispanics.
Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol –
all risk factors for heart disease and stroke –
show no sign of decline. Participants will be screened for blood
pressure, cholesterol, BMI, and diabetes.
“At United
Health Foundation, we believe there is an urgent need to address the
prevalence of heart disease in the African American and other minority
communities,” said Reed V. Tuckson, M.D.,
United Health Foundation board member and UnitedHealth Group executive
vice president and chief of medical affairs. “Here
in Washington, only two percent of people with insurance living in the
neighborhood around Unity Health Center Congress Heights Center have
been tested for bad cholesterol levels over the past 12 months. PEACE of
Heart aims to change this disheartening statistic.”
This weekend’s screenings in Washington and
Maryland are being held in conjunction with the Congressional Black
Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference and championed by
Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL).
“Every year, we lose far too many family
members and loved ones to cardiovascular disease and stroke. We know
that preventive screenings can save lives. It is important that each of
us join the battle to combat heart disease in our families and our
communities,” said Representative Davis.
Screenings will be held Sept. 26 at Unity
Health Center Congress Heights (SE Washington) and Suitland Health
and Wellness Center (Suitland, Md.) from 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
On Saturday Sept. 27, a screening will be held at the Walter E.
Washington Convention Center from 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Summary data from screenings in Atlanta and Chicago show that 43 percent
of participants are overweight or obese and about 20 percent have high
blood pressure. PEACE of Heart will also screen people in Miami, New
Orleans and New York.
“The PEACE of Heart screening at Unity Health
Center Congress Heights gives people living in our community the chance
to find out if they are at risk for heart disease. The tests are simple,
quick, and can save someone’s life,”
said Vincent A. Keane, president and CEO at Unity Health Center. “We
also will use the screening as an opportunity to let people know that we
are here for all their health needs. Everyone should have a ‘medical
home’ and our clinic is able to meet that
need.”
The campaign also includes outreach to approximately 20,000 physicians
in the six screening cities to encourage the use of clinical evidence in
detecting, treating and preventing heart-related health issues.
The campaign will work to identify people at risk in underserved
communities in six cities through free screenings at community health
centers selected with the help of the National Association of Community
Health Centers (NACHC). LabCorp®, another of
the campaign’s partners, will test
cholesterol and blood glucose levels at no cost to participants.
The campaign partners are:
As a result of a high prevalence of hypertension, African Americans have
a 1.5 times greater rate of heart disease death and 1.8
times greater rate of fatal stroke than Caucasians,
according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Heart disease, stroke
and all other cardiovascular diseases account for 33 percent of deaths
among African American males and 38 percent of deaths among African
American females, according to recent statistics cited by the AHA.
See the original story at: http://eon.businesswire.com/releases/health_center/heart_disease/prweb1389114.htm
Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/WmV0YS1QaWdnLUNvdXAtUGlnZy1IYWxmLVNpbmctWmVybw==
Bookmark -
Del.icio.us |
Furl It |
Technorati |
Ask |
MyWeb |
Propeller |
Live Bookmarks |
Newsvine |
TailRank |
Reddit |
Slashdot |
Digg |
Stumbleupon |
Google Bookmarks |
Sphere |
Blink It |
Spurl
|
