AAW 2004 AWARD RELEASE

Health Communication Award Recipients Announced

Bethesda, Maryland (December 30, 2004)— American Speech-Language-Hearing Association received the Aesculapius Award for television PSAs, and American Thyroid Association received the Aesculapius Award for WWW sites.The 2004 Aesculapius Awards were announced today by Dr. Peter G. Goldschmidt, President and Founder of the Health Improvement Institute.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Rockville, MD, received the top honor for their television PSA “Keep An Eye On Your Ears.” This PSA raises awareness and educates the general public about the negative effects exposure to hazardous noise levels can have on hearing.

American Thyroid Association, Falls Church, VA, received the top honor for their website www.thyroid.org. This site provides the public, patients and health professionals with timely and accurate information on thyroid diseases including thyroid cancer.

Winners of the Award of Excellence for health-related WWW sites included:

American Academy of Neurology – www.thebrainmatters.org
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association – www.asha.org
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – www.danafarber.org
National Cancer Institute – www.cancer.gov
Society for Women's Health Research – www.womenshealthresearch.org
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention – www.bblocks.samhsa.gov
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Mental Health Information Center – www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov
U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Justice – www.sshs.samhsa.gov

"Americans need reliable information about lifestyle and health care choices presented in an appealing way. The Aesculapius Awards are designed to promote and encourage excellence in the communication of good information about healthy lifestyles, disease prevention, health care treatments, and other health topics", said Dr. Goldschmidt. “This year's winners continued the very high standard of creativity and quality that we have seen since the awards began.”

A panel of judges, representing the health care, television, and multimedia fields, evaluated entries. The annual award is named for the ancient Greek god of healing, Aesculapius. This award was established by the Health Improvement Institute, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization based in Bethesda, Maryland, to promote informed consumer lifestyle choices and health care decisions.

The Institute is accepting entries for the 2005 Aesculapius Awards. For more information or to obtain entry form, please contact:

Health Improvement Institute
5800 Madaket Road, Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20816-3201 Telephone: 301-320-0971
Fax: 301-320-0978
Email: hii@has.com

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