When we received a release on Stamford, Connecticut-based Health Media Network [1] digital point-of-care media company launching two information and education networks created specifically for Hispanic and African-American healthcare physicians and consumers, it raised a lot of questions in our mind – not that it was inaccurate, but we wondered how that fit in with the Spanish and African-American networks headed by Phil Cohen, chairman, CEO and majority owner of America’s Minority Heath Networks [2] where an African-American Network was already in place and where he had recently announced formation of a Spanish health network [3].
Well, we talked to Cohen – who is also owner of CARE Media Holdings [4] and chairman of the Digital Signage Federation [5] – and got it straightened out. We also learned a lot more of what Cohen has going in these days. But first let’s look at HMN’s announcement, while a separate article will bring readers up-to-date on Cohen. [6]
Combined, the new HMN networks support more than 20,000 doctors reaching close to 10 million Hispanic and African American consumers at the point they receive healthcare services.
“At HMN, we recognize that minority communities have specific medical conditions and therefore, specific health information needs,” said Christopher Culver, president and CEO at HMN (who, by the way, will be featured in DailyDOOH’s next CEO Spotlight) “Better informed patients are more likely to follow physician suggestions and recommended closing strategies.”
To enhance the education and information, HMN developed an association with Cohen’s American Minority Medical Network (AMHN) which will provide the relevant content to both minority networks. (See separate article – Ed)
The HMN Hispanic Network now supports 8,692 physicians delivering 4,321,505 impressions while the HMN African American Network supports 13,171 physicians and delivers 4,710,357 impressions.
“We are the first point-of-care information provider to address these needs across such a wide direct-to-consumer platform,” says Culver. “Better informed patients are more likely to follow physician suggestions and recommended dosing strategies.”
According to national examination surveys, Hispanics are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanics to be diagnosed with diabetes by a physician. In the case of African-Americans, 40% percent of African-American males die prematurely from cardiovascular disease as compared to 21% of Caucasian men.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [7], the health of these ethnic groups is often shaped by factors such as language/cultural barriers, lack of access to preventive care, and the lack of health insurance. Major causes of illness and death among Hispanics and African Americans include heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.
“Early detection and preventative care can be encouraged by our information networks,” said Shaneeka James, president of the American Minority Health Network. “HMN and AMHN have created a viable solution to meet the real-time needs of physicians who are constantly searching for ways to better inform their patients, and for advertisers searching for a platform to communicate specific products and benefits to Hispanics and African Americans.”
“HMN continues to validate its commitment to being the only IP-addressable platform and the fastest growing digital point-of-care company,” said Culver. “We lead the industry in network diversity through our ability to offer advertisers and brand managers multi-platform opportunities to reach more consumers, in demographic and ethnic sub-segments, at a pivotal time – at the point-of-care.”