More than 100 hospitals across Pennsylvania are among the 2,600 nationwide that participate in the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® initiative to improve outcomes for Americans who experience … Read more
With nearly 3 out of 4 cardiac arrests outside of the hospital occurring in homes, knowing how to perform CPR is critically important[1]. CPR, especially if performed immediately, could double … Read more
Many schools in Philadelphia are faced with lead contamination in their water lines. An environmental report has found that potentially exposing tens of thousands of students to toxins can cause … Read more
Media Advisory For Immediate Release 6/4/22 Virtual Award Show for American Heart Association What: The American Heart Association will recognize some of its brightest stars and those … Read more
Springfield Township Middle School students waited nearly three years to bring back its annual dodgeball tournament. Greg Cannon and students held a presentation ceremony to present close to $4,000 to … Read more
Shoppers can support the life-saving work of the American Heart Association Walgreens is proud to support the American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain … Read more
“Be prepared, not scared” is an excellent motto to say throughout your day-to-day life. It is especially true when it comes to knowing how to perform CPR. In the US … Read more
High blood pressure (also referred to as HBP, or hypertension) is when your blood pressure (BP), the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels, is consistently too high. Nearly … Read more
Brown’s Super Stores, Oak Street Health, and AHA Collaborate to establish a Community-based Blood Pressure Screening, Education, and Referral Initiative. Hypertension is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke, … Read more
Click here – Heart Month 2022 Reclaim your Rhythm – Final February marks the start of Heart Month and Friday; February 4th is National Wear Red Day. Wearing RED is … Read more
Scott Allen knows his family health history, and it is his life’s guiding principal! As a young child, Scott grew up in a house where eating a low cholesterol diet … Read more
On October 23, 2021, the Fall Southern New Jersey Heart Walk took place at the Riverwinds Community Center in West Deptford, NJ. This was the first outdoor and in-person event since the beginning of the pandemic. Over 600 people and even a few pets attended the Heart Walk and raised over $100,000. Nicholas Scardino, VP of Truist Bank served as the Fall Heart Walk Chairman. During an interview with POP 99.9 FM, he shared that he is a heart survivor and how he experienced a heart attack while looking in the mirror getting ready for work. Emma Kimenhour, Development Director for South New Jersey, and her team ensured that everyone was safe while having a great time.
The Heart Walk is designed to help companies positively impact employee overall health and well-being. The program is anchored in a series of customizable workplace events that inspires employees to be more engaged, reconnect with colleagues, get in their physical activity, support a great cause and have a lot of fun doing it.
Thank you to BB&T now Truist Bank, Zallies Shop Rite, Virtua Health System, Jefferson, Lockheed Martin, Bayada, M & T Bank, Pop FM 99.9 radio, Riverwinds Community Center, and the many other sponsors who supported the walk and for all those who volunteered to make this a successful event. It’s not too late to donate, go to www.snjfallhw.org.
Contact Emma.Kimenhour@heart.org for more information and how to participate in the 2022 Spring Heart Walk, date, time, and location to be determined.
The American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, announced the top awardees of its first-ever EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator™ Faith-Based hosted … Read more
Philadelphia, July 22, 2021 — The American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on ensuring longer, healthier lives for all, has named David Pacitti, President of Siemens Medical … Read more
Grant will fund projects aimed at reducing racial disparities in breast and prostate cancer patients with a higher risk for cardiovascular disease July 19, 2021 Bonnie Ky, MD, MSCE PHILADELPHIA— The … Read more
June 16th marks the fifth anniversary of the 13-4 vote to tax sweetened beverages in Philadelphia. This victory did not come easy, but it has paved the roadway for other … Read more
Over $105,000 in Grants Will be Awarded to Local Community Leaders Faith-based organizations and places of worship have played an important role during the COVID-19 crisis in our country. These … Read more
Webinar panelists share wisdom around community impact.
The power of partnerships built on trust, dignity and respect was a key theme during March 17th’s EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator™ Faith-Based Workshop Zoom webinar, hosted by the American Heart Association (AHA), Eastern States region.
“When you see value in people, it affirms that value that is in you,” said Dr. Abraham Shanklin, Jr. Founder/Executive Director of the Center for Transformation in Maryland, an AHA collaborator.
During the webinar, Shanklin and ENON Tabernacle Baptist Church Rev. Leroy Miles, Jr. of Philadelphia, provided tips based on their own experiences in bolstering scalable community impact.
“It’s about those relationships that give you access,” said Miles. “Don’t be afraid to try, don’t be afraid to ask.”
Bishop Shanklin
Shanklin and Miles offered wisdom gleaned from their own community leadership experiences to inspire webinar participants as AHA, Eastern States region launched the application cycle opening for it’s EmPOWERED to Serve Faith-Based Accelerator. The Faith-Based Accelerator is a grant-funding initiative for faith institutions and leaders to continue and scale their business models aimed at addressing social determinants of health in their communities. AHA aligns with faith-based communities to improve health and empower sustainable outcomes. Applications for a total of $105K in grant funding to communities of faith in select states will be accepted through April 30, 2021. Learn more or apply here.
Reverend Miles
Shanklin and Miles were joined by AHA’s Vice President, Health Equity and National Partnerships Pamela Garmon-Johnson, who emphasized how important it is to deploy resources “connecting the dots so that we can have the greatest impact on our communities.”
“We have been charged with a purpose in order to be the voice for the voiceless….when we put all of our resources together that is when we can truly, truly put together the greatest difference,” said Garmon-Johnson.
Both Miles and Shanklin have successfully bolstered efforts to positively impact the social determinants of health in their own communities — factors that influence where and how people live, learn, work and play and provide context to a person’s life. Social determinants can play just as big of a role in affecting health as medications and physical lifestyle changes. Their work has included focusing on recidivism, family stability, food security, and health knowledge.
“We’ve tried to be a model and help you replicate [successful programs] at your spot,” said Miles, who collaborated to move ENON’s annual “Know Your Numbers” health-screening day, aimed at reaching 1,000 Philadelphia men, to a drive-through experience amid COVID-19. Participants were able to get take-home colon screening kits, HIV screenings, BP checks, glucose, cholesterol, and COVID screenings at the event which Miles termed a “significant pivot in such a time as this.” AHA provided take-home blood pressure kits for self-monitoring for those who were found to be hypertensive.
“You all are heroes in your respective areas, the assignments that you have, the passion that you have. All of these ideas [we are putting forth], they serve just as starting blocks,” said Shanklin. Among the many initiatives of the Center, Shanklin and his partners were able to feed 1200 people in Maryland and distribute over 50K pounds of food by leveraging county relationships.
Both Miles and Shanklin highlighted the value of partnering with organizations, including AHA. “I love the partnerships with AHA and EmPOWERED to Serve,” said Shanklin. Miles noted that the reimagined “Know Your Numbers” program gained traction due to partnerships with local AHA board members and Einstein Health.
“Powerful partnerships, meeting people where they are, and speaking with a trustworthy voice are three of the AHA’s Guiding Values — our 10 commitments to health equity — this shores up making sure that we are holding ourselves accountable so that we can make an impact,” said Garmon-Johnson.
American Heart Association, Eastern States Vice President Health Strategies Rhonda Ford-Chatmon asked webinar participants to provide feedback so that AHA can continue to strengthen community partnerships.
“Tell us what you need. We are here to be responsible. We are listening to you, and we want to be of help,” said Ford-Chatmon. She invited anyone with community needs to email questions or ideas to 2021FaithBasedAccelerator@heart.org
Faith-based organizations and places of worship have played an important role during the COVID-19 crisis in our country. These organizations and their volunteers and staff have been on the frontline, … Read more
The challenges facing our world are many – from timely concerns such as the coronavirus pandemic and the renewed emphasis it has placed on the need to dismantle structural racism … Read more
Long before the pandemic, systemic challenges have contributed to disparities that impede some people from living long, healthy lives. Your ZIP code should not determine how long you live, but … Read more
On May 15, the Eastern States Community Impact team launched the first webinar of a series designed to discuss the impact of COVID-19 in communities of color. The webinar was … Read more
Long before the coronavirus impacted how we live, work, and play, systemic challenges contributed to disparities that impede some people from living long, healthy lives. Your ZIP code should not … Read more
Updated May 29, 2020 Long before the coronavirus impacted how we live, work, and play, systemic challenges contributed to disparities that impede some people from living long, healthy lives. Your … Read more
