Special to Texas Metro News
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
The African American Wellness Project (AAWP) has announced a partnership with VNR1 Communications to release a nationally syndicated Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign on the health issues that disproportionately affect the Black community.
According to a news release, the partnership formed because of healthcare inequities between the African American community and the rest of America.
The PSA’s will highlight healthcare issues that disproportionately affect the African American and other minority communities at higher prevalence and severity.
“We are at an unprecedented time in our nation’s history. Racism is an omnipresent public health burden,” said Dr. Michael LeNoir, one of the nation’s top Black physicians and AAWP’s founder.
“We believe that health disparities will exist if we allow them to continue and that through partnerships with companies, like VNR1, we can help eliminate disparities in health and healthcare for African Americans,” added Dr. LeNoir, a past president of the National Medical Association who also has more than 25 years in broadcasting.
VNR1 counts among the largest PSA and media relations groups in the U.S. with more than 33 years of production and media experience.
Pioneering digital media distribution systems with Digital PSA Platforms, Digital News Releases, and Digital Thought Leader platforms, VNR1 has created new capabilities for organizations to place multimedia content directly in the hands of clients, the public, and media.
Through this first-of-a-kind partnership, the PSA’s will be distributed monthly to 10,000 radio stations and 2,500 TV stations and networks, and it will address critical topics like asthma and diabetes.
“We are extremely excited about partnering with AAWP and Dr. LeNoir to make a difference,” said Jack Trammel, president of VNR1 Communications.
“Dr. LeNoir is a respected and trusted voice in the African American community, and this partnership represents what VHR1 stands for, delivering relevant, timely, and needed multimedia content to diverse audiences.”
AAWP officials noted that the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial and ethnic divide in America had taken an unprecedented toll.
Inferior housing and economic conditions have caused minority communities to be placed at a higher risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19, AAWP officials noted, citing statistics showing that African Americans are three times more likely to die from COVID-19.
“We are at an unprecedented time in our nation’s history,” Dr. LeNoir proclaimed.
“Racism is an omnipresent public health burden. At AAWP, we believe that health disparities will exist if we allow them to continue and that through partnerships with companies, like VNR1, we can help eliminate disparities in health and healthcare for African Americans.”
For more information, visit http://www.aawellnessproject.org.
