A Prescription for Good Health Dr. Corey Hebert Launches Blackhealthtv.Com
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Lighting The Road To The Future Latoya Cantrell Victory Celebration Data Zone Page 6 “The People’s Paper” December 15 - December 21, 2012 47th Year Volume 32 www.ladatanews.com A Prescription for Good Health Dr. Corey Hebert Launches BlackHealthTV.Com Page 2 Newsmaker Home Style U.S. Attorney Jim Letten Resigns What is your Amidst Scandal Garden Type? Page 4 Page 11 Page 2 December 15 - December 21, 2012 Cover Story www.ladatanews.com A Prescription for Good Health Dr. Corey Hebert Launches BlackHealthTV.Com gonna fix your face, but I need you to By Dr. Eric Griggs chill out and trust me .’ ” In that moment Data News Weekly Contributor his decision was made . “I said I want to do what that dude does .” His destina- A Doctor’s Journey tion was set . These days, it is a rare occasion in He attended Morehouse College in life that we are able to sit with our col- Atlanta, then Meharry Medical College leagues and reflect on from where we in Nashville, Tennessee, arriving in have come to where we are now . Even New Orleans at Tulane University Hos- rarer is the opportunity to witness the pital for his residency training . Always evolution of the minds of friends as they keeping a constant ear to the pavement interact and shape their professional for changes in the community-at-large, world, and more importantly, the world what struck him during his training was around them . As the world gets small- the number of unnecessary visits to the er and technology faster, moments to Emergency Room for non-emergent chat, laugh, reflect and grow (in per- conditions and the number of events son) have become fewer and further that could have been prevented . So, he between . However, recently I was able decided to spring into action . He made to have such a chat with an old friend, some personal sacrifices to start a Dr . Corey J . Hebert, one of the hardest show on New Orleans Access Televi- working physicians on the planet . Be- sion called “Urban Pediatrics,” with tween his clinic schedule, travel sched- the goal of educating the general pub- ule, public service, and his most recent lic through media about Health and project, Black Health TV .com, it’s a empowering them to make smarter, wonder that he sleeps at all . informed decisions . The show was Dr . Hebert, now affectionately a success and he realized that this known as “The Doctor for the People,” would be his niche in changing the began his journey in Baton Rouge, Lou- world for African-Americans and the isiana, when a visit to the doctor for a world population-at-large . “People dog bite changed his life . He relates, “I don’t read . People don’t read and they actually got bitten in the face by a dog don’t go to the doctor . Especially in and I needed about sixty stitches . The populations that don’t have insurance, doctor came in the room and everyone they never get the health information Hebert by Dr. Photo provided shut up . He said ‘Look little dude, I’m nor the health care that they need .” Dr. Corey J. Hebert Cover Story, Continued on next page. DATA NEWS WEEKLY P.O. Box 57347, New Orleans, LA 70157-7347 | Phone: (504) 821-7421 | Fax: (504) 821-7622 INSIDE DATA editorial: [email protected] | advertising: [email protected] Terry B. Jones Contributors Edwin Buggage CEO/Publisher Shawn Colin Cover Story . 2 Commentary . 8. Glenn Jones Eric Connerly Dr. Eric Griggs, MD VP Advertising Benjamin Jealous & Marketing Doc Jones Newsmaker . 4 Editorial . 9. Julianne Malveaux Edwin Buggage Mary Matalin Editor M.G. Calla Victoria Art Direction & Production Calla Victoria State & Local News . 5 Health News . 11 . MainorMedia.com Executive Assistant Editorial Submissions [email protected] June Hazeur Advertising Inquiries Data Zone . 6 Accounting [email protected] Please call 504-309-9913 for subscription information or to obtain a back issue of the paper ONLY. Dated material two weeks in advance. Not responsible for publishing or return of unsolicited manuscripts or photos. www.ladatanews.com Cover Story December 15 - December 21, 2012 Page 3 Cover Story, Continued from previous page. hawn Colin S Photo: When it comes to New Or- lieved this old adage to be true . ing every aspect of health possible leans, Dr . Hebert considers us a Nothing could be further from pertaining to Black people . So, if “special group” of people . We are the truth . Disinformation of this you want to learn about a new ex- a City of people, rich in spirit and nature was still lingering and ercise to tone up, you have an on- full of life . We love our Saints . We causing people to harm them- line video by a Black person (New love to celebrate, and we love to selves . He felt frustrated that in Orleanian Fitness Expert, Jordan eat . We love our food . The world spite of his efforts in multiple Vappie) doing it . If you want to loves our food . People travel for media platforms, people were still learn how to make stuffed bell miles just to sample our wares . uninformed and misinformed . He peppers healthy, you have a Black New Orleans boasts the best searched for another way, a way woman (Celebrity Chef Nikki food on the planet, but it comes to target a specific group in a man- Shaw) cooking the stuffed bell at a cost . “We have the most deca- ner they would understand from peppers in a video while you prop dent food in America, maybe the people they trust . He laughingly up your iPad in your kitchen and world . We eat excessively . We observes, “People might not stop learn how to make them healthily . don’t always know the difference eating greasy foods because their There is no excuse . If people don’t between complex carbohydrates doctor says so or they read it in have the internet at home, there and the good food that we are sup- an article, but they’ll stop eating it is a mobile online platform, which posed to eat . we have a horrible if Michael Jordan says so because is where most Black people go paradigm set up for people that they trust him . If he says it on TV, these days to receive their health don’t have the appropriate infor- it must be true .” information . People can even sign mation, don’t have enough money up on the site to receive a Black to get the food that they need and Enter Black HealthTV.com. Health TV Health Tip of the Day don’t have the ability to get fresh “African-Americans surf the from Harvard University every food in their community when internet more than any other morning .” they do have the money . So, that group . They download health “We like to think of Black it is a setup for Hypertension, Dia- apps for iPhone more than any Health TV as the first-time where On a breezy December afternoon in New Orleans, Dr. Eric Griggs (left) betes, Early Death, Preventable other group . They go online for a Black man, woman or child and Dr. Corey Hebert (right) sat in a park to chat and catch up as Dr. Death, Sexually Transmitted Dis- TV more than any other group . can get on-demand information, Hebert explains the features of the new site, Black HealthTV.com. eases, and anything else you can African-Americans love to identify regardless of their level of edu- name that could be an ill of our with a person they see on TV .” cation or socioeconomic status . community,” says Hebert . All of After discovering these facts he Every second that a Black person which is evidenced in the patients found his solution . He decided to does not know about this website, he encounters in his practice . He create a site that provides online another Black person dies .” candidly relates the numerous health videos in a language that The years of hard work and tales of well-meaning patients suf- people can understand . Black ingenuity have culminated in an fering the consequences of their HealthTV .com was born, an on- unprecedented culture-specific mis- and disinformation . Take line mobile platform where Afri- website that provides much for example, the new mother can-Americans can go to get all of needed health information in a that brings her infant to the ER their pertinent health information manner that is easily digestible . for vomiting . “We want ‘big fine’ specific to their race and culture . It even goes so far as to provide Hebert by Dr. Photo provided babies so we think that fat babies The problem he faced was that 3-dimensional videos explaining are great . But, a baby that is two many times in our community we surgical and office procedures . months old shouldn’t have an 8 choose not to receive information Dr . Hebert has come a long way ounce bottle every 3 hours . The unless it is validated by an out- on his journey and has large plans baby’s stomach can only hold 3 .5 side, well-respected source . With on the horizon . “We will be rolling - 4 ounces . I always tell them, if that in mind, he negotiated a part- out Latino Health TV .com, Asian the baby is vomiting and is gain- nership with Morehouse College Health TV .com, Irish Health ing a ton of weight, he’s only School of Medicine, which has TV .com, Jewish HealthTV .com vomiting what he doesn’t need . It produced a number of Surgeon and more in the near future .