April 22, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HBCU ALUMNI ALLIANCE Partners with Regional Health Leader
TO PRESENT HEALTHY COMMUNITY AWARENESS MONTH
Kaiser Permanente to offer health screenings and resources throughout June
TO PRESENT HEALTHY COMMUNITY AWARENESS MONTH
Kaiser Permanente to offer health screenings and resources throughout June
Washington, D.C. — The Washington, D.C. Metro HBCU Alumni Alliance, Inc.
(DCHBCUAA), in collaboration with their community partner, Kaiser
Permanente, will launch a Community Wellness Education Program in June.
The program aims to increase awareness about factors that contribute to
rates of chronic conditions in the African American community and to
encourage all residents in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, to
learn more about leading a healthy lifestyle.
The HBCU Alumni Alliance is a non-profit community-based organization
that consists of Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Alumni
chapters in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. Its mission is to
strengthen the community by providing programs that address the needs of
African Americans, particularly in the areas of health and wellness,
hunger, and higher education.
“As a group, the African-American population experiences significant
disparities with chronic conditions, access to care, preventive
screenings, and mental health,” noted DCHBCUAA President Dr. Nardos E.
King. “For the entire month of June, we will focus our community work
and programming around prevention and education through a number of
strategies, including social media and digital marketing campaigns,
health fairs, physical fitness, and general health awareness, including
mental health. But our goal, of course, is that these efforts continue
to have impact beyond the month of June.”
Throughout the month of June, the alliance will engage health ministries
at local churches to support their existing events. Kaiser Permanente
will also provide educational programming for congregants and health
screenings for blood pressure and Body Mass Index on its mobile health
vehicle. These activities will lead up to the 7th Annual HBCU
Alumni and Community Day, which includes a 5K Run/2K Walk and a health
educational fair. The HBCU Alumni Alliance will also leverage its
significant social media presence to encourage its followers to visit
the doctors for a general health checkup.
“The expertise of a community partner, like Kaiser Permanente, is
critical to this effort, “said Dr. King. As an organization, “We are
proud to work with them to bring important knowledge and preventative
services to the community—which is aimed at improving overall health and
well-being.”
Other partners in this effort include African American Panhellenic
organizations, which play a significant role in the African American
community. “Together, we support individuals and neighborhoods to
improve health and quality of life by increasing awareness of healthy
behaviors to reduce and manage chronic conditions like cardio-vascular
disease, obesity and diabetes, and increase awareness of preventive
health including mental health,” Dr. King said.
The Alumni Alliance was formed in 2012 to support the mission of
HBCU’s by increasing the membership of participating alumni chapters;
collaborating on philanthropic efforts; and promoting a higher awareness
of HBCU opportunities among underprivileged, minority high school
students. The nonprofit started out with just four charter members, and
it has now grown to comprise over 60 local alumni HBCU chapters. For
additional information, please contact Sam Washington at communications@dchbcu.org.
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