News and Announcements

And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12: 30 -31

Our own Rev. Marie Braxton is in need of a kidney donation. If you are able to help or know of others who can, please contact Eloida Gonzales, Clinical Transplant Coordinator, Washington Hospital Center, 202 877-9035 and let her know that you are interested in donating a kidney to recipient: Rev. Dr. Marie M. Phillips Braxton.

Please continue to keep Rev. Marie in your prayers and feel free to forward this message to others who may be interested in giving the gift of life.

March is Women’s History Month and what an excellent time to focus on health care issues affecting women.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have conducted research, implemented programs, and developed strategies to help women live healthier lives.  These activities have helped address a variety of health issues, including cancer, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, smoking, violence, workplace safety and more.  For details on the research that has been conducted go to the CDC website at:  www.cdc.gov/women/observances/

Also, March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and March 10 is Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Download more information on Colorectal Cancer.

View our information on HIV AIDS.

Heart disease is still the number one killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. More women die of cardiovascular disease than from the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer. But 80 percent of cardiac events in women could be prevented if women made the right choices for their hearts involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.

Each year on the first Friday in February, thousands of hospitals, small businesses, multinational corporations, news broadcaster, schools, individuals and even landmarks “Go Red” to help raise crucial awareness and significant funds in the fight against heart disease in women.

There are many ways to show support on National Wear Red Day or any day throughout the year – from simply wearing red to helping organize an event at your workplace, school or local organization.

For Your Information
Heart Attack
A heart attack occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked, usually by a blood clot. If this clot cuts off the blood flow completely, the part of the heart muscle supplied by that artery begins to die.

Signs of a Heart Attack:
1. Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
2. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
3. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
4. Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
5. As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help.

Stroke
Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death in America. It’s also a major cause of severe, long-term disability. Stroke and TIA (transient ischemic attack) happen when a blood vessel feeding the brain gets clogged or bursts. The signs of a TIA are like a stroke, but usually last only a few minutes. If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help.

Signs of Stroke and TIAs
1. Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
2. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
3. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
4. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
5. Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Also, check the time so you’ll know when the first symptoms appeared. It’s very important to take immediate action. Research from the American Heart Association has shown that if given within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke.

December 1 is World AIDS Day. This day has been set aside so that our attention is directed to the current status of the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic worldwide. This year’s theme is “Leading with Science, Uniting for Action.” In the United States alone approximately 575,000 people diagnosed with AIDS have died since the first cases were reported 30 years ago and approximately 50,000 persons are infected with HIV each year. It is estimated 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection. HIV and AIDS affects minorities and women at a high rate. Read more on our web site. . .