Hip hop health

T hrough a unique blend of community involvement and advocacy, Williams has proved that technology isn’t the only solution to the pressing problems of health and wellness. The fact is, sometimes rap music and creativity are the best prescriptions.

Olajide Williams is the founder and director of the Hip Hop Public Health Education Center at Harlem Hospital, a series of health awareness programs that use music to teach pre-adolescents about strokes. The center’s sponsors include GE, the New York City Council, and the National Stroke Association. Similar programs are being developed for obesity and cardiovascular health.

The crux of the lesson: if you see someone having a stroke, call 911. The victim needs to get to a hospital within three hours of an attack to stave off serious brain damage.

Nearly 144,000 people die each year from stroke in the United States, making it the third leading cause of death in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To combat these statistics, Williams and his staff host two-day sessions at Harlem elementary schools, coaching students through music about the warning signs and proper response to a stroke. Each student is then tasked to share what he or she learned with a parent or guardian at home.

The crux of the lesson: if you see someone having a stroke call 911. The victim needs to get to a hospital within three hours of an attack to stave off serious brain damage. Two million brain cells die every minute when someone has a stroke. For every hour without treatment, a stroke victim’s brain will age around three-and-a-half years, Williams says. But, if a patient gets to a hospital in time, doctors can administer drugs that drastically improve his or her chance of recovery. Eighty percent of strokes are preventable and treatable with proper emergency response times, exercise, and diet—a frustrating statistic for caregivers.

“Stroke is at epidemic levels in Harlem,” Carly Hutchinson, 46, director of communications and outreach for the Harlem Health Promotion Center, which provides health services and education in the community. “Harlem bears a disproportionate burden in stroke deaths, People in there 20’s are already showing early signs of hardening arteries and hyper-tension, leading factors.”

The issue is personal for Hutchinson. Her father had a massive, stress-induced stroke when she was 10. “My dad has since died,” Hutchinson says, “but not of stroke. He rallied, by eating well and taking care of himself physically.”

For Williams, the goal is to prevent strokes from happening in the first place. His work extends beyond both the classroom and the exam room. He has teamed with faith groups and neighborhood organizations to help the people of Harlem stay healthy.

“He’s very good at working outside the walls of the hospital,” says Patricia Butts, a community organizer and a pastor’s wife who works closely with Williams. The two met five years ago, when she approached Williams about the Central Harlem Health Revival, a community health awareness program she helps to run.

“People in the community recognize him,” Butts says. “I don’t think you can define the impact Dr. Williams has had by his work with one organization or another. He spends his time with a myriad of congregations, faiths and people of all ages.

“He’s respected,” she says.

His mission is respected.

“The word ‘community’ means we’re all in it together,” Williams says. “When people come in suffering from diabetes or stroke, we can put a band-aid on the problem, but that’s not a solution. The real work is preventing people from having to come in.”

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Vivek Kemp, a former assignment editor at NBC News, is a multi-media content producer and GE’s Reporter-at-Large.