DCHBCUAA Partners with Kaiser Permanente to Present Healthy Community Month

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

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 7^th 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.