B Holding Group Teams Up With Greater Than AIDS for First Annual HBCU b Healthy Tour

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- B Holding Group, LLC today announced it has launched its Inaugural HBCU "b Healthy Tour" going on from September 3, 2011 - October 22, 2011. The "b Healthy Tour" will visit 15 Historically Black College and University (HBCU) classics, homecomings and campuses to highlight health disparities prevalent in the African-American community.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110908/NY64440LOGO )

The HBCU b Healthy Tour will promote health and wellness, raise awareness about health disparities and encourage students to get tested for diseases prevalent in minority communities.  "Access and exposure to community-specific health information can make the difference in terms of early detection, more accurate diagnoses and less aggressive treatment plans for many diseases and conditions," said Jason Panda, Esq. Co-Founder and CEO of B Holding Group.  "This tour provides us with a unique opportunity to give something back and engage college students in ways that can positively impact their health."

The tour is being organized in collaboration with Greater Than AIDS, a national movement that brings together a broad coalition of public and private sector partners to respond to the AIDS crisis in the United States, in particular the severe and disproportionate epidemic among Black Americans and other disproportionately impacted populations.  Through a national media campaign, strategic corporate partnerships and targeted community outreach, Greater Than AIDS aims to increase the public's knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS and confront the stigma surrounding the disease.  

"We have the tools to end the AIDS epidemic as we know it.  We know how to diagnose those who are infected, identify the communities most heavily affected, prevent transmission, and prevent acquisition of the virus.  Dramatically expanding HIV testing and linkages to care is a critical step toward that end," said Phill Wilson, President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, a co-founding partner of Greater Than AIDS.  "We are delighted to team up with b condoms to build on the previous work we've done at HBCUs to inform and empower students to take control of their health and well-being."

At each tour stop, b condoms will educate students on health issues and distribute health-related information and products.  Interactive panel discussions and testing are also available at select stops to engage students and empower them to be tested for illnesses that are common in the African-American community.  

B Holding Group is the distributor of b condoms.  b condoms is the only minority-owned, socially responsible company in the world.  b condoms seeks to change the trajectory of HIV/AIDS in at-risk populations by working with community organizations and reinvesting a portion of their profits into education and prevention efforts.  "b condoms is proud to partner with Greater Than AIDS Campaign on this important initiative.  As a graduate of Morehouse College, we feel this tour is perfectly situated to address key health issues in the African-American community," Elkhair Balla, COO and Co-founder of B Holding Group, says.

For more information about the HBCU "b Healthy Tour" go to http://www.facebook.com/bhealthytour or contact [email protected].

About B Holding Group, LLC / b condoms

The B Holding Group, LLC is a full-service provider of health-related services and products dedicated to decreasing health disparities within at-risk populations.  It is also the distributor of b condoms, the world's only minority-owned, socially responsible condom company.  The B Holding Group administers programs and works with partners across the country on prevention and education efforts for at-risk communities.  The company's founders were recently recognized as one of the Top Ten Young Entrepreneurs to Watch by Black Enterprise and one of the Top 40 Leaders Under 40 by the New Leaders Council.  www.bcondoms.com

About Greater Than AIDS

Greater Than AIDS is a collaboration among a broad coalition of public and private sector partners united in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States, in particular among Black Americans and other disproportionately affected groups.  Through a national media campaign and targeted community outreach, Greater Than AIDS aims to increase knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS and confront the stigma surrounding the disease.  www.greaterthan.org

The Kaiser Family Foundation -- a non-profit private operating foundation dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information, research and analysis on health issues -- provides strategic direction and day-to-day management, as well as oversees the production of the media campaign.  The Black AIDS Institute -- a think tank exclusively focused on AIDS in Black America -- provides leadership and expert guidance and directs community engagement.  Greater Than AIDS is developed in support of Act Against AIDS, an effort by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to refocus attention on the domestic epidemic.  Additional financial and substantive support is provided by the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Ford Foundation and MAC AIDS Fund, among others.

Contact: Elkhair Balla, 212-470-9829, [email protected]

SOURCE B Holding Group, LLC