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OAKLAND, Calif. and MIAMI, Sept. 22, 2009 – The Flowers Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying gaps in healthcare services and systems and treating health disparities with effective public health solutions, announced it has selected six doctors from the Miami-Dade County area as recipients of its Sylester Flowers Innovative Leadership in Public Health Award. The honorees serve as physician ambassadors for Test Miami, an initiative of the Miami-Dade County Health Department that aims to make HIV/AIDS testing a routine part of health care and reduce the stigma surrounding the disease within the community.

The award recipients – chosen for their outstanding and innovative contributions to public health – are:

• Nelson L. Adams, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., past president of the National Medical Association and the Dade County Medical Association
• Margaret A. Fischl, M.D., F.A.C.P., professor of medicine and director of the AIDS Clinical Research Unit at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Lawrence B. Friedman, M.D., director of the division of adolescent medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Pedro J. Greer, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.G., assistant dean of academic affairs at the Florida International University School of Medicine and a recipient of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Michael A. Kolber, Ph.D., M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Comprehensive AIDS Program and Adult HIV Services at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Gwendolyn B. Scott, M.D., F.A.A.P, professor of pediatrics and director of the division of pediatric infectious disease and immunology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

“We’re pleased to honor the work of these six individuals for their unwavering personal and professional commitment to furthering public health issues and ensuring the community understands the importance of getting tested for HIV,” said Gregory Edwards, Ed.D., executive director of the Flowers Heritage Foundation.

The award is named for the founder of Ramsell Holding Corporation and the Flowers Heritage Foundation who, over the course of his 45-year career as a pharmacist, has been committed to providing care to the underserved and medically indigent. The physicians were honored at the Test Miami Leadership Symposium Luncheon sponsored by Norwegian Cruise Line – the first business ambassador and corporate sponsor of Test Miami – and the Flowers Heritage Foundation. The goal of the symposium was to help mobilize the public and private sectors in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

“Fighting the AIDS epidemic requires a concerted and coordinated response from the entire community, especially given how ethnically and culturally diverse Miami-Dade County is,” said Evelyn Ullah B.S.N, M.S.W., director of the Miami-Dade County Health Department’s Office of HIV/AIDS. “This is why we’ve enlisted the support of the medical community, including our physician ambassadors, and are reaching out to businesses, nonprofits and faith-based organizations from across the area to help with our Test Miami campagin.”

The symposium is the first of several planned to help spread the word about Test Miami. For a complete list of testing sites as well as other Test Miami projects and efforts, please visit www.dadehealth.org or call the Miami-Dade County Health Department, Office of HIV/AIDS at 305-470-6999.

About Flowers Heritage Foundation
The Flowers Heritage Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing solutions for public health issues affecting the medically indigent through our expertise in public health care, education/awareness programs, technology, business management, and fundraising. The Flowers Heritage Foundation was established by the Flowers family and is an outgrowth of their belief in giving back to the communities they serve. The Flowers Heritage Foundation is based in Oakland, California. For more information, please visit www.flowersheritagefoundation.com.