Sanofi-aventis Partners with the African American Community in Baltimore to Increase Health Awareness, Access to Resources and Help Improve Pa...( The Sanofi-Aventis U.S. Community Hea...),Health

The Sanofi-Aventis U.S. Community Health Partnership - It's In Our Hands - Has Been Designed To Help Improve Patient Care By Connecting Patients And Caregivers To Healthcare Resources And Services In Local Communities

BALTIMORE, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sanofi-aventis announced the initiation of its Community Health Partnership (CHP), It's In Our Hands, in the Baltimore area, seeking to link African American residents with local healthcare professionals and health resources in their neighborhoods. Cultural barriers and lack of access to preventive care are key contributing factors to poor health outcomes among African Americans and by providing patients with culturally relevant health information, the program aims to decrease healthcare disparities and encourages individuals to take action toward better health.

In Baltimore alone, the health statistics in the African American community are considerable:

• African Americans in Baltimore are:
  • 3.5X more likely to die of hypertension than whites
  • 1.7X more likely to die of cerebrovascular disease than whites
  • 2.4X more likely to die of diabetes than whites
• 1 in 4 African American adults in Baltimore suffers from insomnia.
• Nationwide, African Americans have a higher rate of peripheral artery disease than any other ethnic group.
• African Americans have the highest rate of first-time occurrence of deep vein thrombosis.

To address the need for improved health education and ongoing medical care, the CHP will work to build healthy communities by strengthening the connections among patients, healthcare providers and the community-based health resources already available.

"Our goal with this partnership is not to create a new program
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