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DRchip Receives International Recognition
‘The only 2003 Community ISHIB Award Recipient in the
World’
(DANVILLE, VA) -- The Dan River Region Cardiovascular
Health Initiative (DRchip) Program has been selected as the
2003 recipient of the International Society of Hypertension
in Black’s (ISHIB) Outstanding Community Service Award.
The Award was based on DRchip’s community work to bridge
the gap of health disparities among ethnic minority populations.
ISHIB is an international, non-profit, professional, medical
membership Society devoted to improving the health and life
expectancy of ethnic populations. ISHIB’s focus includes
hypertension, diabetes, stroke, lipid disorders, renal disease,
and other related cardiovascular diseases. These health concerns
are addressed through provider, patient, and community education
programs. In addition, ISHIB conducts clinical trial research
related to hypertension prevention and treatment in ethnic
populations and publishes the Society’s Ethnic &
Disease, a peer-reviewed, medical journal.
The ISHIB Awards Program is the Society’s most comprehensive
recognition program. Since its inception in 1986, a select
number of individuals and organizations have been recognized
for their support, contributions and advances in medical research
and community outreach. The ISHIB Awards Program encourages
research efforts designed to improve the cardiovascular health
of ethnic populations and recognizes community programs that
stimulate participation in hypertension education and prevention.
Through the Awards Program, ISHIB believes it can stimulate
research, encourage quality publications, and fuel leadership
that advances the work of improving health and life expectancy
in these populations.
The ISHIB Community Service Award is offered annually and
recognizes individual or group efforts to improve health in
a community. The following is a partial list of some organizations
that have won the community Service Award in the past:
1. Church Community Health Awareness and Monitoring Program
2. National Black Women’s Health Project
3. Cleveland Council of Black Nurses
4. Healthwatch Information and Promotion Services
5. Lighten UP!
The 2003 ISHIB Outstanding Community Service Award will be
formally presented during its annual international interdisciplinary
conference, which will be held in Ghana in December.
DRchip is a private, non-profit community based cardiovascular
risk reduction program that works toward impacting the devastating
effect of heart disease in the Dan River Region. Composed
of more than forty community partners (businesses, faith-based
organizations, coalitions, professionals, and concerned citizens),
DRchip has developed a number of activities to improve community
cardiovascular health including (1) HealthSmart, a middle
school program, that addresses healthy heart and living choices;
(2) Community cardiovascular education and screening to educate
community members about cardiovascular disease and to identify
those in the community with cardiovascular risk factors such
as obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol
levels. DRchip also implements the American Heart Association’s
‘Search Your Hear’ and ‘Heart At Work’
programs, which many businesses and faith-based organizations
utilize to promote healthy lifestyles.
The work of DRchip is supported by grants from the National
Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes
of Health, the Danville Regional Health Foundation, and the
Consortium for Southeastern Hypertension Control.
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