Note: The following press release was provided by Floyd Medical Center in Rome. – KtE

An advisory board that includes volunteers from all walks of life is working to help Floyd improve heart health in the African American community, which has a higher mortality rate from cardiovascular disease than other populations.

The 12-member More Heart Advisory Board includes members of various civic organizations, businesses, religious groups, governments, education and health care:

Dr. Jacquelyn Cheatham-Terry – Floyd Primary Care Physician
Faith Collins – Business Owner, Rome Board of Education member
Edward Guzman – Cedartown City Manager
Sandra Hudson – Director, Rome/Floyd Housing Authority
Rev. Carey Ingram – Lovejoy Baptist Church
Frank Jones – Owner, F.K. Jones Funeral Home
James Lee – President, 100 Black Men of Rome
Dr. Pamela Obi – Floyd Family Medicine Residency Physician/Faculty Member
Sundai Stevenson – Rome City Commissioner
Susie Twyman – Retired Director of Nursing, NWGA Regional Hospital
Patsy Wade – Bereavement Coordinator, Heyman HospiceCare at Floyd
Marvin Williams – Retired Polk School District Superintendent

“We know there are disparities of care in the African American community and I just want to help bridge that gap,” Stevenson said. “I want to do anything I can do to help. The meetings are very positive and I think everyone has contributed.”

“These volunteers are working to find the best ways we can communicate heart healthy messages and establish preventive programs in the community,” said Floyd President and CEO Kurt Stuenkel. “I am grateful for their willingness to donate their time and efforts to make a difference.”

While the effort takes on significance during February, which is American Heart Month, it is not a new initiative for Floyd, which has conducted screenings targeting blood pressure and diabetes in the community for more than two decades.