HEALTH & BEAUTY
THE COMMUNITY HEALTH COALITION, INC. CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
DURHAM, NC - The Community
Health Coalition, Inc. (CHC),
a Durham based non-profit, is
celebrating 25 years of serving the
Durham community and beyond
in the struggle to reduce health
disparities, promote good health
and advance healthy lifestyles. The
Coalition was co-founded in 1989 by
the late businessman John Mickle,
MBA and Physician Elaine HartBrothers, MD., MPH.
African-Americans are
getting more screenings, more
colonoscopies. The state of the
health of African Americans in
Durham is improving. The health
disparity gap has not closed, but it
is narrowing. Community Health
Coalition has
been one
of the vital
players in
Durham and
surrounding
areas in
helping to
reduce the
disparities.
The first
location was in
the basement
of Northgate Shopping Mall. The
initial project was to connect with
churches to convince the ministers
to share good health messages
with their congregations through a
newsletter called ‘Health Tips’, which
has become the company’s signature
program. Health tips are written in
collaboration with prominent local
African American physicians and
distributed monthly to over 150
predominantly African American
churches, 300 associations, outreach
members and organizations in
Durham County. For over a decade
now, Community Health Coalition
has reached more than 30,000
people monthly with information
on vital health topics through the
Black Churches’ health & wellness
ministries and other programs.
In 2002, the company
incorporated, dropped ‘project’ from
its name and became Community
Health Coalition, Inc. (CHC and/or
Coalition). In 2006, the organization
officially moved to its current location
at 407 Crutchfield Street in Durham,
NC.
Dr. Hart-Brothers credits
her desire to “give back to the
community” to her mother and
father who were pillars in their
neighborhood in Washington, DC,
and instilled in her at an early age
the value of reaching out and giving
back. She received her medical
degree from Tufts University in
Boston in 1976 and her Master’s
in public health from Harvard in
1979. Dr. Hart-Brothers credits
the longevity of Community Health
Coalition to grant funders, donors
and to the years of dedicated board
members, staff and volunteers.
“My interest in community
medicine is simple….the more
people I reach, the more lives I help
save,” says Dr. Hart-Brothers. “My
practice is medicine, improving the
health of my people is my passion!”
In addition to the written
information of Health Tips, the
signature program has touched the
African American Community at
health fairs where blood pressure
and glucose screenings are
administered and health education
and nutritional counseling are
shared. CHC has managed and
coordinated free screenings for
mammograms for women age 40+
who are underinsured or uninsured
or have a history of breast cancer in
the family. CHC has actively recruited
people with type 2 diabetes through
a diabetes improvement project to
encourage self-management of the
disease. The agency works with
families to teach healthy eating
habits and proper exercise to youth
and parents, and has taught diabetes
self-management and blood pressure
education workshops. CHC has also
reaches the youth population through
nutrition and obesity prevention
programs.
On May 22, 2014 the CHC held
its annual Community Meeting at
the Millennium Hotel (Durham). The
theme was “Partnering with 4 P’s Providers, Patients, Politicians and
Pastors - to develop strategies for
managing and reducing diabetes and
multiple chronic conditions.” Over
200 people were in attendance, and
guests included medical doctors,
health care professionals, educators,
ministers, faith-based members and
the community. There were also
exhibitors with products or services
related to health.
For more information contact Carmelita
Spicer at 919-470-8680, or visit www.
chealthc.org
www.spectacularmag.com | June 2014 | SPECTACULAR MAGAZINE
8 WAYS TO PROTECT
BLACK SKIN
We’ve all heard
‘black don’t crack’
when it comes to
aging. But what
about darker skin
and sunburn?
Attention people of
color, darker skin
can indeed become
burned by the sun.
Sunscreen is a summer essential for all of us.
More melanin in your skin does mean
more protection from the sun, but it’s not
a guarantee against skin cancer. Certain
medications (such as Doxycycline) can make
you more sensitive to the sun, and some
medical conditions that suppress your immune
system (such as HIV) can make you more
susceptible to developing cancer.
So sunscreen is really all I need, right?
Well, not really.
A recent Consumer Reports article
found that many sunscreens on the market
contain chemicals that may be harmful to
people (and some which are associated with
cancer!). Retinol and retinyl palmitate, which
are an inactive ingredient in some sunscreens,
have been associated with skin cancers in
mice. Oxybenzone, another ingredient, may
interfere with hormones. Titanium dioxide and
zinc oxide nanoparticles are associated with
developmental effects in some animal studies.
When buying a sunscreen, it may be best to
choose one that contains few or none of those
questionable ingredients.
However, it’s more important that you
wear sunscreen, that you choose a brand that
offers UVA/UVB protection, and that you put on
enough of it to cover exposed skin. Not using
enough sunscreen in the first place, and not
re-applying are what you should be concerned
about. The CDC’s Choose Your Cover campaign
has some tips to keep your skin healthy.
Summer Sun Safety Tips
•
Put sunscreen on 20 minutes before
goi