Regina Benjamin, M.D., MBA, 18th U.S. surgeon general and member of the American Heart Association’s National Board of Directors.
The NNPA, the trade association of African American-owned newspapers and media companies, established the Coronavirus Pandemic Task Force to provide timely and up-to-date Coronavirus information and resources for the African American community.
“I am honored to collaborate with the NNPA on behalf of the American Heart Association to share facts and insights to support the health news and resources shared directly with African American communities,” said Dr. Benjamin, who is also Founder and CEO of BayouClinic/Gulf States Health Policy Center in LaBatre, Alabama.
This pandemic is uncovering what health experts have known for years. Access to health care, healthy food, education, and family income are the basis of poor underserved communities. In addition to social factors, health factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke tend to plague underserved communities at high rates and it seems that these populations are at increased risk for contracting the coronavirus.
“We are grateful that Dr. Benjamin has joined the NNPA’s Coronavirus Task Force, which is made up of top infectious disease doctors, medical and health experts from various organizations, and public officials. As a trusted source in African American communities and other communities of color, it is important that we are at the helm with updates and information from reliable top officials and organizations about how the coronavirus is impacting communities of color across the nation,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr, president and CEO, NNPA.
The task force sends out periodic national COVID-19 alerts to all in the NNPA database, and establishes ongoing coordination between the NNPA and the National Medical Association (NMA), National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), and medical schools at HBCUs to collaborate on best practices and other vital information to assist Black America throughout the pandemic.
Daily briefings of the pandemic and original and pertinent content about COVID-19 would be published at www.BlackPressUSA.com. For more information about COVID-19 from the American Heart Association, visit Heart.org.
About the National Newspaper Publishers Association
The NNPA is the national trade association for 225 African American owned newspapers and media organizations in 40 states, including the District of Columbia. The NNPA in 2020 is celebrating its 80th anniversary, and 193 years of the Black Press and its first publication of the Freedom’s Journal in 1827. Today, concluded by a Nielsen study, Black-owned newspapers are the most trusted source of news and information for 50 million African Americans. The NNPA newswire, BlackPressUSA.com, daily curates African American news, entertainment, sports, education and public policy matters in all the U.S. major media markets.
About the American Heart Association
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