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The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 9
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St. Joseph’s/Candler’s African
American Resource Center
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Celebrates Ten Years
,n Americar
.resource Cen
Paul Hinchey, President/CEO, St. Joseph’s/Candler,
addresses the crowd during the celebration
Ten years ago the St.
Joseph's/Candler African-
American Health Information
& Resource stepped into the
health vacuum that African
Americans faced.
There was a disparity in
access to health care and a lack
of cultural health information.
That's why St.
Joseph's/Candler opened the
AAHIRC in 1999, the first
such center run by a private
institution.
“This center was an inno
vation,” said Paul P. Hinchey,
President & CEO of St.
Joseph's/Candler.
He and other dignitaries
like Mayor Otis Johnson cele
brated the 10th anniversary
Friday, Nov. 20 during a cere
mony at the AAHIRC.
“It had not been done
before. There was no credible
health repository in Savannah
for African Americans.”
At the time U.S. Surgeon
General David Satcher noted
the AAHIRC and said such
facilities would change the
way healthcare is delivered in
the future.
Since then the AAHIRC
has provided free health
screenings and seminars to
ensure that people are aware of
how healthy they are and ways
to improve their health and bet
ter manager diseases.
Strategically located in an area
of Savannah with more than 50
percent of the households
below the poverty line, almost
90,000 people have used the
AAHIRC in the last 10 years.
Over time, this strategy
has and will positively impact
the overall community well
ness by improving the health
profiles of Savannah's minori
ties and poor, and thus reducing
the gaps in health status and
health outcomes between
affected residents.
African Americans face
much higher risk factors when
it comes to serious health dis
ease. Research indicates that
African Americans have short
er life spans, more chronic
health conditions and higher
disease and illness rates than
other cultural groups.
The AAHIRC exam
ines the total person, a holistic
view, to try to remove those
external factors. “Our next
challenge is to deal with health
outcomes,” Hinchey said.
The African-American
Health Information &
Resource Center provides
free health screenings such as
blood pressure and blood
sugar, referrals to physicians,
free health seminars that
cover heart disease risks,
stroke risks, nutrition,
healthy eating, combating
diabetes, obesity and dealing
with stress, free computer
access and classes, access to
expert help on employment
searches and business devel
opment, ladies Living Smart
Fitness Program that includes
a comprehensive health
screening and reading and
math tutorials Health literacy
classes.
The AAHIRC is located
at 1910 Abercorn St. Call
912-447-6605 for more infor
mation.
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National Leadership Conference of
Haitian Mayors Held in Savannah
J
avor Otis Johnson is pictured with members of the Haitian Conference
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V. M
ITBiY
The 4th Annual
Convention of the National
Leadership Conference of
Haitian Mayors was held in
Savannah on November 15-
19, 2009 at the Holiday Inn
Suites & Conference Center
This year’s events will fea
tured informative leadership
workshops, roundtable dis
cussions and other hands on
activities to assist the 420+
Mayors from Haiti, Peru,
Mexico, Uganda, and the US
develop ways to better serve
their constituents.
The mission of the
National Leadership
Conference of Haitian
Mayors is to help each city
achieve self-sufficiency
through the use of mentoring
opportunities, coordination of
resources, and collaboration.
This project has been embraced by the National Conference
of Black Mayors, Inc. (NCBM), World Conference of
Mayors, Inc. (WCM), and the National League of Cities.
E. Larry McDuffie has been doing business
with Carver State Bank since the early
1970s,
"l find the people ot Carver to be depend-
able, resourceful and ob/e to assist with ait my
financial needs. They are friendly and always
there when i need them most. After ail these
years, I have never been disappointed with
the service, i encourage ait of my family
members and friends to do business at Carver
State Bank.
£ Larry McDuffie
Savannah’s Financial Leader Since 1927
701 M.I. King, Ir.Bivt 7110 Skid a wav Road
roic www.carverstafebank.com S§i
E. Larry McDuffie
ACTING PROGRAM-MUSIC DIRECTOR
HOST OF AFTERNOON DRIVE AND
SUNDAY MORNING LOVE
MerfiOer
arver
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