Screen and Stage Legend Phylicia Rashad in Miami to Urge Residents to Seek Treatment to Protect Themselves From Future Heart Attack or Stroke

Screen and Stage Legend Phylicia Rashad in Miami to Urge Residents to Seek Treatment to Protect Themselves From Future Heart Attack or Stroke

Miami Named #16 P.A.D. 'Hot Spot' in First-Ever Ranking of Peripheral Artery

                            Disease in the U.S.    WHAT:   September is P.A.D. Awareness Month and on Thursday, September 25,            Tony winner, recent 2008 Emmy nominee and one of America's           best-loved TV moms, The Cosby Show's Phylicia Rashad, will be in           Miami to share her personal experience with P.A.D. and the toll           it has taken on her family.            Eight of Rashad's family members, including her father and           grandparents, died from stroke or heart attack -- which was           believed to be associated with P.A.D. -- and her family members           were not aware of the condition.  P.A.D. affects about 8 million           Americans and more than doubles their risk of heart attack and           stroke.            The "P.A.D: Make the Connection" disease awareness campaign, now           targeting U.S. cities with the highest prevalence of the disease           -- P.A.D. "Hot Spots" -- is based on research conducted by the           National Minority Quality Forum.  The "P.A.D: Make the Connection"           campaign encourages Miami to learn more about P.A.D. symptoms and           treatments on www.PADfacts.org.  The site also includes the full           listing of P.A.D. "Hot Spots" and screening events across the           country.    WHO:    Phylicia Rashad, actor, Tony Award winner and recent 2008           Emmy nominee            Manuel R. Mayor, M.D., F.A.C.C., Assistant Professor of Clinical           Medicine at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami,           and Interventional Cardiologist at Miami International Cardiology           Consultants, Inc.            Both available for one-on-one interviews    WHEN:   Thursday, September 25, 2008    WHY:    P.A.D. is a chronic condition in which a person has poor           circulation in the legs that is indicative of similar problems in           the arteries leading to the heart and/or brain.  People suffering           from P.A.D. are at more than double the risk of heart attack or           stroke and four times as likely to die from heart disease           including heart attack or stroke.  Many Americans are not aware of           the disease, its risk factors and the importance of treatment.    MEDIA CONTACTS: Sarah Smedley, (212) 229-8488; ssmedley@ccapr.com                   Alice Sofield, (202) 609-6006; asofield@ccapr.com   

The P.A.D. "Hot Spots" rankings are based on research conducted by the National Minority Quality Forum. The study population included participants that completed the standardized health examination in a mobile exam center (MEC) for the Fourth National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES IV, a cross-sectional survey that provides national estimates of disease prevalence. "P.A.D: Make the Connection" is an educational initiative supported by the sanofi-aventis/Bristol-Myers Squibb Partnership in collaboration with the P.A.D. Coalition.

PRNewswire -- Sept. 11

Source: sanofi-aventis/Bristol-Myers Squibb Partnership

Web site: http://www.padfacts.org/

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Profile: International Entertainment