Left: NIDDK director Dr. Griffin Rodgers discusses kidney disease with WMMJ radio personality Olivia Fox. Right: NIH Blood Bank’s Al Decot speaks with Providence Hospital staffer about the CC’s Sickle Cell Campaign. Photos: Belle Waring

For the second time in 6 months, NIH reached out to the Washington, D.C., community and beyond on Apr. 8, “Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day,” a national campaign led by syndicated radio host Tom Joyner.

Broadcasting live from the lobby of D.C.’s Providence Hospital, radio personalities from WMMJ/Radio One (102.3 FM) interviewed NIAID’s Dr. Edith Swann, NIDDK’s Dr. Griffin Rodgers and NIMH’s Dr. Gonzalo Laje. WMMJ also provided NIH with exhibit space in the hospital lobby, where NIH’ers staffed three tables from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visitor estimates topped 2,000.

“It is extremely important for NIH to attend and participate in events such as Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day,” said Calvin Jackson, chief of the News Media Branch, Office of Communications and Public Liaison, OD. “So much of our outreach is focused on national efforts that we often forget to reach out to our local communities. It’s through these grassroots efforts that we can really bring about change.”

To keep up the momentum, the News Media Branch is producing a new feature for WMMJ/Radio One: twice-daily health-info spots with Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The “Healthy Moments” program will debut on the Tom Joyner Morning Show on Monday, May 12 and will air throughout the week on WMMJ.

Radio One, the nation’s largest African-American radio broadcaster, owns and/or operates 54 radio stations and was named the #1 R&B station in the country for 2006 by Billboard Magazine. Local affiliate WMMJ reaches nearly 500,000 listeners weekly.—Belle Waring