Hard work and good luck resulted in President Bill Clinton giving a moving testimony to the work of Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, a longtime ASPR client. Clinton made his remarks at the Democratic National Convention and they were viewed by 24 million Americans. Coverage was secured on NPR, Education Week, POLITICO and dozens of other outlets. 

PRESIDENT CLINTON’S PRAISE OF HIPPY USA JOINS

GROWING CHORUS OF BIPARTISAN VOICES SUPPORTING

EDUCATION HOME VISITING PROGRAM

In a nationwide address, President Bill Clinton spoke passionately about the impact of Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (www.hippyusa.org), an evidence-based home visiting program.

“Twenty years of research has shown how well this program works to improve readiness for school and academic achievement. There are a lot of young adults in America…who are enjoying better lives because they were in that program,” Clinton said at the Democratic National Convention. The clip can be viewed at  http://cs.pn/2awbOpB.

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s relationship with HIPPY USA dates back to the 1980s when she was the First Lady of Arkansas.  Recognizing that many families with young children weren’t getting what they needed, she brought the HIPPY program to the state to help teach parents how to prepare their children for school.

As a nonpartisan nonprofit, HIPPY USA is supported by legislators, community leaders, school administrators and others in order to successfully implement its model.

HIPPY USA helps to close the education achievement gap for families in 140 communities across the country. Peer parent educators work with families in the home to support parents in their critical role as their child’s first and most important teacher. Parents in underserved neighborhoods are provided with a set of carefully developed curriculum, books and materials designed to strengthen their children’s cognitive and early literacy skills and social/emotional and physical development.

Research has found the HIPPY model to be effective in improving school readiness, parent involvement, school attendance, classroom behavior, standardized test scores and academic performance by children participating in HIPPY.

Some of the research findings include:

• HIPPY parents become more engaged in reading, talking and working with their children.

• HIPPY improves children’s school readiness.

• HIPPY children demonstrate higher achievement in school.

• HIPPY parents are involved in their children’s schools and education. 

Further details are available at http://hippyusa.org/research/.

ASPR is honored to have won the bronze in the 2015 Nonprofit PR Award from the “Bulldog Reporter,” a well-respected industry publication. The firm was nominated for its work highlighting and promoting education innovation in New Orleans a decade after Hurricane Katrina. Advocates in New Orleans are widely credited with reinventing a dysfunctional school system into one that is helping more students than ever close the achievement gap. ASPR’s strategic plan resulted in major news placements and coordination with the mayor’s office, which led to a speech praising the work of advocates by President Obama.  

It takes persistence, a good story and an interested reporter to achieve a media hit for a client. ASPR is fortunate that nearly a year’s worth of effort on behalf of the Catalogue for Philanthropy paid off in the form of a glowing profile of the initiative’s founder Barbara Harman in The Washington Post Sunday Magazine.

This successful outcome is a reminder to all of us who toil in media relations — reporters and editors work on their deadlines, not ours. But, ultimately, the wait is worth it when the final story can do so much good for nonprofits. 

“An author was better liked when a literary agent delivered his pitch than when he did it himself, even though listeners knew he was responsible for what was said in both circumstances.”

“Overcoming the Self-Promotion Dilemma,” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

‘DR. PHIL’ SHOW TO FEATURE GENOMIND’S GENECEPT ASSAY ™ IN UPCOMING PROGRAM AIMED AT HELPING A PATIENT GET BETTER, FASTER

bit.ly/1qeNNJu 

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA.– March 24, 2016– Genomind (www.genomind.com), a personalized medicine company bringing innovation to mental health care through genetic testing, will soon be featured in a nationally broadcast episode of “Dr. Phil.”

Dr. Phil McGraw, a psychologist and New York Times best-selling author, and his producers selected Genomind’s Genecept Assay ™ to be highlighted as part of a program focused on helping a family in crisis.

The Genecept Assay is a genetic test designed to help clinicians optimize treatment decisions for their patients with mental illness. It is an easily administered cheek swab test that analyzes key genes, selected based on the critical examination of hundreds of studies showing that variations in these genes can inform treatment decisions in psychiatry.

On Tuesday, March 29, the TV program will tell the story of a girl struggling with a variety of mental health challenges. She and her family have tried numerous treatments, so far without success. Dr. Phil and her treating psychiatrist will offer the Genecept Assay as a potential way to help reduce the time, expense and struggle of finding the right treatment by trial and error.

Recent research found 87 percent of patients demonstrated a clinically measureable improvement with treatment guided by the Genecept Assay. It also reported improvement in 91 percent of patients who had failed at least two medications in the past: https://genomind.com/clinical-evidence/.

The Genecept Assay is available for use by any licensed and prescribing clinician. Patients should discuss with their clinician whether the Genecept Assay test is right for them https://genomind.com/talk-to-your-doctor/. Patients should have their clinician contact Genomind directly to order test kits and/or to receive more information about testing.

Dr. McGraw’s work was recognized by the American Psychological Association in 2006 when it honored him with a presidential citation. Over the years, the “Dr. Phil” show has received 27 Emmy nominations and won five PRISM Awards for the accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse and addiction, as well as the MADD Media Award. In addition, the Alliance for Women in Media, sponsors of the Gracie Award named after Gracie Allen, has honored Dr. Phil four times. Details about where to watch the show locally can be found at www.drphil.com.