Heart Assoc. Targets Blacks With Stroke Program

 Dallas - American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association is increasing its social media outreach targeted to African Americans for its Power To End Stroke initiative and has hired marketing consultancy, CultureLab to help guide its social media strategy. CultureLab is a marketing consultancy focused on creating strategies to help companies and institutions enhance outreach efforts through social media optimization and curation of social media content. Power To End Stroke is seeking to boost its overall registrant numbers and online followers.

CultureLab has also been hired to provide real time social media coverage at the upcoming You Are The Power Concert featuring Chrisette Michele at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater on Friday, May 6, 2011. CultureLab will stream live online video from the Red Carpet and provide behind the scenes coverage during the show. At the You Are the Power Concert, select people of influence will be awarded for their work in helping the American Stroke Association to bring stroke awareness to African Americans across the country. The concert, which is hosted by Comedian and Actor Anthony Anderson will also feature MusicWorld recording gospel artists Trin-I-Tee 5:7, and Brian Courtney Wilson, among others.

Power to End Stroke was formed in 2006 by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association to help reach the American Stroke Association’s mission to reduce stroke and risk of stroke by 25% by 2010. It was also meant to raise critical awareness within the African American population. Heart disease and stroke are major health risks for all people, but African Americans are at particularly high risk. Consider this: 

•     Blacks have almost twice the risk of first-ever strokes compared to whites.
•     Blacks have higher death rates for stroke compared to whites.
•     The prevalence of high blood pressure in African Americans in the United States is the highest in the world.