Raising health awareness in African American communities
For over a decade, Philadelpha has been at the last of Pennsylvania’s county health rankings. That puts us at #67 out of 67 counties across the state. Unfortunately, communities of color face the greatest hurdles when it comes to improving their health.
Addressing inequities in health care is top of mind for organizations like Independence Blue Cross. As we work with others to close the gaps and improve health in our region, we also recognize the power of community, conversations, and awareness in getting people to be mindful of their health every single day.
Our Community. Our Health. is a public awareness campaign from Independence and The Philadelphia Tribune – now in its second year. It focuses on providing information and resources to the African American community about the major conditions impacting their health and quality of life – like heart disease, diabetes, and COVID-19.
Print advertisements in The Philadelphia Tribune
The Philadelphia Tribune is the oldest continuously published African American newspaper in the country. The latest series of Our Community. Our Health. advertisements run weekly from October 30 through December 4 and aim to inspire positive actions like eating healthy, being active, knowing your family history, and getting vaccinated against COVID-19. They feature portraits of well-known community members, paired with their personal anecdotes.
Ambassadors talk about their motivation and strategies for healthy living. They also acknowledge the barriers many Philadelphians face when it comes to being healthy and share their hope for the future.
We are honored to introduce our latest Our Community. Our Health. Ambassadors:
- Della Clark, president, The Enterprise Center
- Dr. Norman Clark, founder, Clark Dental Associates
- Dr. Vaughan Graves, founder and director, Graves Derma Care
- Charisse R. Lillie, CEO, CRL Consulting, LLC
- Dr. Leroy D. Nunery II, president, Evolution Advisors LLC
- Joe H. Tucker, Jr., Esq., founder and CEO, Tucker Law Group
Where to find more
Digital resources are also distributed to the community through a larger network of Ambassadors recruited by The Philadelphia Tribune. Independence also shares #OurCommunityOurHealth content on its social media channels.
Independence initially launched Our Community. Our Health. in November 2020.