Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 03, 2012
The City of Stockton, California has joined the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program (BBHOP) to conduct diabetes and high blood pressure screenings on Saturday, May 12th, 2012, from 11am to 4pm.
Participating barbershops will provide the platform for volunteers to educate, screen and refer African American patrons; encouraging them to become more aware of cardiovascular diseases and how to prevent them.
Daniel Salas, a Pharmacy student at the University of the Pacific is working extensively to get the word out about the program. He along with members of the Phi Delta Chi, Professional Pharmacy Fraternity will administer screenings to hundreds of men in the area.
The Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program has a unique, grassroots approach to health screening and education. Led by Dr. Bill J. Releford, D.P.M., founder of The Diabetic Amputation Prevention (DAP) Foundation, his leadership has taken the Black Barbershop initiative across the country to impact the lives of African American men, helping them to better understand the health issues that plague their community.
“The need to address health care disparities in African American men is paramount in light of the fact that they have the lowest life expectancy of any group in the U.S.,” said Dr. Releford a podiatric surgeon. “For decades, the black barbershop has served as a centralized gathering place where African American men feel comfortable discussing the most important issues that impact their lives: politics, social trends, family and finances. Now, we are introducing an important discussion of health and the critical need for health awareness.”
Recent figures show African American men are 30% more likely to die from heart disease than White men, according to the Office of Minority Health – an arm of Health and Human Services, a federal agency. Also, African American men suffer from prostrate cancer at a level that?s more than twice the mortality rate for any other racial or ethnic group in the U.S., according to the CDC.????
Through black-owned barbershops, which represent a cultural institution of familiarity and trust, the outreach program has adopted a novel means to spread health information. Over 30,000 African American men have been screened in 23 cities, including New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis, Washington, DC, Baltimore and California since 2007 when the outreach program was launched. The ultimate goal by 2014 is to screen more than a half-million African American men.
State-wide partners of the BBHOP include Anthem Blue Cross and Medtronics. Both are leaders in the health care industry with Anthem providing affordable health care coverage in the state of California and Medtronics serving as the go-to resource for medical technology development. The outreach program is also happy to have the support of community and media partners which include: University of the Pacific, Phi Delta Chi-Professional Pharmacy Fraternity, East Main Clinic & Stockton Diabetes Intervention Center.
Since 2007; nearly 750 black-owned barbershops have participated in the program. Participating barber locations for the Stockton area include: Dudes and Divas 345 N. California St. Stockton, CA 95202, Bay Kutz 936 N. Yosemite St. Stockton, CA 95203, Tru Barber Styles 338 E. Lafayette St. Stockton, CA 95203.
To learn more about the health outreach effort, and to view a complete list of those barbershops involved, please go to http://www.BlackBarbershop.org.
About Anthem Blue Cross
Anthem Blue Cross is the trade name of Blue Cross of California. Anthem Blue Cross and Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Association. ? ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross name and symbol are registered marks of the Blue Cross Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company is available at http://www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/healthjoinin, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HealthJoinin, or visit our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/healthjoinin.
About Medtronic
Medtronic, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology ?? alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Through our key businesses, we partner with medical professionals to develop life-changing technologies that improve the way chronic diseases are treated. While much of our work happens at the business level, we have several cross-business groups to help us leverage best practices, knowledge, and technologies across the company. Learn more at http://www.medtronic.com
About Dr. Bill Releford
As Founder of the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program and the Releford Foot and Ankle Institute, Dr. Bill Releford is a visionary and industry pioneer. He began his private practice in 1990 and has dedicated his life?s work exclusively to the reduction of diabetes-related amputations in high-risk populations. Dr. Releford and his efforts have recently been highlighted in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek Magazine, THE VIEW, THE DOCTORS, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams as well as the TODAY SHOW and more. Additionally, Dr. Releford’s innovative community organizing strategies culminated into an invitation from President Obama to attend the White House Super Bowl Party in 2011. To learn more about Dr. Releford and his work visit http://www.drreleford.com.
About the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program
The mission of the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program is to increase public awareness about health care disparities in under-served communities through culturally specific education, research and community based programs. Our goal is to empower the African-American community to better understand various diseases, their complications as well as the standard of care they deserve as it relates to prevention and management. The primary objective of the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program is three-fold: 1. SCREEN: Cardiovascular Disease (diabetes and hypertension) 2. EDUCATE: Preventive education about diet and exercise as well as education about the signs and symptoms of common chronic diseases. The ?PEP Talk? or Prostate Education Program will inform men about their choices in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. 3. REFER: Through the ?Real Black Book/Medical Resource Guide,? men will be referred to local health care providers that offer free or low-cost health services. For more information on participating or sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://www.blackbarbershop.org
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Bel Marra Health Comments on a Recent Study that Shows Women with Heart Disease are More Likely to have Baby Girls
Toronto, ON (PRWEB) May 05, 2012
Bel Marra Health, well known for offering high-quality, specially formulated vitamins and nutritional supplements, has commented on a recent study that shows the connection between women with heart disease and the likelihood of having a baby girl.
Researchers at the World Congress of Cardiology reviewed the gender of 216 babies who were born to women who had been diagnosed with a cardiovascular disorder such as heart disease. They found that 75% of the babies born to these women were female. Amongst these women, 64% were suffering with valvular disease, 19% with dilated cardiomyopathy and 14% with uncorrected or significant residual congenital heart disease.
Dr. A. Alizadehasl, from Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran, reports ?We believe that this is the first study looking at the relationship between gender and the mother?s cardiac disease.?
?This is a very interesting observation. The chromosomes in a man?s sperm are responsible for the sex of a baby but this study does suggest that there may be a relationship between the health status of the mother and the sex of the babies that she is able to carry to full-term,? adds Dr. Kathryn Taubert, Chief Science Officer, World Heart Federation.
Spokesperson for Bel Marra Health, Dr. Victor Marchione says, ?although many women may desire a baby girl, it is probably safe to say that none of them would sacrifice their good health in order to increase their odds of having one. Proper cardiac care and good health are vitally important for a healthy pregnancy and the delivery of a healthy baby.?
In addition to exercising and eating a whole food based diet, you can reduce your risk for cardiac disease by quitting smoking, reducing alcohol intake and maintaining a healthy weight. Finally, you can magnify the effects of this cardiac care lifestyle by emphasizing the following heart-supporting super foods ? berries, cold-water fish, oatmeal, spinach and olive oil.
(SOURCE: ?World Heart Federation.?Women with heart disease more likely to have baby girls, April 2012)
Bel Marra Health, the maker of Heart Rescue, a formulation built in optimal dosages to help maintain heart health, offers quality vitamins and nutritional supplements in formulations designed to address specific health concerns. All ingredients are backed with scientific evidence. Every product is tested for safety, quality, and purity at every stage of the manufacturing process. Furthermore, Bel Marra Health products are produced only in Health Canada approved facilities, going that extra mile to ensure our health conscious customers are getting top quality products. For more information on Bel Marra Health visit http://www.belmarrahealth.com or call 1-866-531-0466.
Bel Marra Health
100-7000 Pine Valley
Woodbridge, ON L4L 4Y8
pr(at)belmarrahealth(dot)com
866-531-0466
http://www.belmarrahealth.com
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