Sanofi-Aventis launched a community health partnership in Baltimore, in response to disturbing health trends among African-Americans there.
The “It’s in our hands” program hopes to link local healthcare professionals and resources to residents, in order to decrease healthcare disparities in Baltimore, the company said.
According to data provided by Sanofi-Aventis, African-Americans in Baltimore are 3.5 times more likely to die of hypertension than whites, 1.7 times more likely to die of cerebrovascular disease than whites, and 2.4 times more likely to die of diabetes than whites.
“Our goal with this partnership is not to create a new program within the Baltimore community, but to support and enhance access to the resources already available,” said Dennis Urbaniak, VP of innovation and new customer channels at Sanofi-Aventis, in a statement.