NAACP AND WILLIAMS DECLARE TAKE A LOVED ONE TO THE DOCTOR DAY

HARRISBURG, SEPT. 21 – State Sen. Connie Williams and the NAACP Main Line Branch today held a news conference to announce Sept. 21^st as “Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day” in Pennsylvania.

“The best medicine is preventative medicine,” Williams said. “That means going to the doctor before you are sick. This allows for early detection of disease and prompt referral to quality health care. Unfortunately, too many people – especially those of ethnic descent and minorities – are not visiting doctors as often as they should.”

“I give the NAACP Main Line Branch credit for taking the initiative to draw attention to this important community health issue,” Williams said.

During the news conference, Williams offered a citation from the Senate of Pennsylvania calling on Pennsylvanians to “Take a Loved One to the Doctor.”

“Individuals can make a difference not only in their own health, but in the health of others in their family and in their community,” Williams said. “All it takes is gentle nudging – and sometimes nagging -- on one person’s part to possibly prevent a minor illness from turning into something major – whether that someone be a spouse, a child, a parent, another relative, a neighbor or a dear friend.”

The Secretary of Health and Human Services declared Sept. 21, 2004, as “Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day” to focus attention on health care for those people most in need.