Press Release-Cedar Rapids Foundation Award Enhances CSD's Health Education and Outreach

From: CSD - USA - Feb 17, 2006

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT
Release Date: Feb. 14, 2006
Contact: Derric Miller
CSD Communications Office
Dsmiller@c-s-d.org

Cedar Rapids Foundation Award Enhances CSD’s Health Education and Outreach

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA (Feb. 14, 2006) — CSD of Iowa has been awarded a mini-grant through The Bloomhall Family Donor Advised Fund of The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. CSD of Iowa is a branch office of CSD, a deaf and hard of hearing service provider based out of Sioux Falls, S.D.

This grant will help CSD provide culturally accessible and competent health education outreach and prevention services to the deaf and hard of hearing community in Linn County, Iowa.

The award permits CSD to provide a series of interactive classes across a variety of health literacy topics — such as diabetes, healthy lifestyles, communicable diseases, self-advocacy for effective health care services, and cancer — in American Sign Language. Communicating in a consumer’s native language will lead to access to crucial information for the deaf and hard of hearing community, empowering them to make well-informed decisions regarding their health.

“Health literacy is everyone’s responsibility,” said Ben Soukup, CSD chief executive officer. “This grant will help us eliminate barriers the deaf and hard of hearing community can face when they need access to crucial information. We also feel that this initiative will inspire eagerness among the health care infrastructure to design accessible health education and prevention strategies for the deaf community.”

Further inquires about outreach and prevention services to the deaf and hard of hearing community may be directed to Lori Breslow, CSD National Programs senior director, at lbreslow@c-s-d.org and (605) 367-5761 (TTY) or (605) 367-5760 (Voice).


About CSD- CSD (aka Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc.) was established in 1975, primarily to provide sign language interpreting services to deaf and hard of hearing adults in South Dakota. Today, CSD employs over 3,000 individuals in offices across the nation, providing a broad continuum of social and human services programs, as well as telecommunications relay services. CSD is a private nonprofit agency dedicated to providing quality services; ensuring public accessibility; and increasing awareness of issues affecting the deaf, hard of hearing and individuals with speech disabilities. For more information, please visit www.c-s-d.org.

About The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation- The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) is a public charitable foundation holding more than 250 different funds, large and small, established by individuals, families, nonprofit agencies and businesses to benefit Linn County, Iowa. Since our founding in 1949 as the Community Welfare Foundation, we have served the needs of this area and the wishes of our donors through personalized service, financial stewardship, local expertise, and community leadership. For more information, please visit http://www.gcrcf.org/. The funding award for this project was made by The Bloomhall Family Donor Advised Fund, a component fund of The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.