Using Media to Drive Positive Health Changes in Your Neighborhood

Overview: Using media to address community health issues works by transforming storytelling, digital screens, and targeted journalism into actionable public health tools. By pairing culturally relevant editorial reporting with widespread place-based indoor screen networks like DISC USA, health advocates and community leaders can directly bypass traditional barriers to care. This strategic media approach raises awareness of systemic disparities, promotes life-saving screenings, supports caregiver pipelines, and connects underserved populations to vital medical and wellness resources where they live, work, and gather.

Using Media to Drive Positive Health Changes in Your Neighborhood

Media does not just report headlines. Instead, it serves as a powerful catalyst for healthier communities. By sharing vital stories and facts, the media educates the public. It inspires lasting change. Most importantly, it connects everyday people directly to life-saving wellness resources.

Our Mission

The Health Equity Action Lab (HEAL) shares the stories of African Americans and community advocates. Together, we work to break down barriers to healthy living. We build real equity, and we secure the exact resources our neighborhoods need to thrive.

In fact, we view healthcare disparities as our top priority. Tackling these gaps drives the progress and long-term growth of communities of color.

Our daily reporting powers this mission forward. Currently, our editorial reaches more than 350,000 digital readers and subscribers. Recently, we expanded our reach by partnering with DISC USA. This indoor digital network includes more than 800 screen locations. As a result, it connects with 4.5 million on-the-go consumers across Baltimore, Washington DC, Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Louis, Chicago, Atlanta, and beyond.

Furthermore, we amplify major health campaigns and local events through targeted journalism, leader spotlights, and community outreach. Through our national network of legacy BIPOC Press, our content now reaches over 20 million people.

Our Goal

Healthcare disparities remain widespread and undeniable. When new research exposes these gaps, people can no longer accept the status quo.

Unequal access to medical care developed over decades of systemic neglect and social exclusion. These gaps hurt people based on race, income, gender, and background. Too often, society treats these inequalities as normal.

However, our goal is to tear down the barriers that block top-tier medical care. Therefore, we spark real community action and assert everyone’s fundamental right to wellness.

The Health Equity Action Lab (HEAL) partners with The ARGUS Community Foundation to design hands-on solutions to these challenges. We carry out this work across the nation and in the global neighborhoods where our readers live.

Our strategy focuses on two clear steps. First, we engage medical providers, patients, and local leaders through focused media. Second, we actively lower health gaps in our local and national communities by exposing the root causes of unequal care.

Through high-visibility distribution, HEAL gives people practical tools to overcome old barriers to care. In addition, HEAL confronts the social, corporate, and political practices that feed inequality. We tackle these issues head-on at every level.

Key Projects

The Empowerment Network: This project focuses directly on early detection and prostate cancer screenings. In addition, the team hosts monthly support groups for survivors and walks alongside members throughout recovery.
At Home Care Missouri: This initiative improves elder care across Black communities in Missouri. Led by Carla, the agency also tackles the nursing shortage among people of color. Consequently, they build clear career pathways into healthcare.
Disc Health: This platform publishes daily wellness guides that reach over 45,000 readers each week. Additionally, the team features each topic across digital platforms and broadcasts them nationwide on the DISC St. Louis Indoor Digital Network.
DiSC Health: 3 Health Tips of the Week: is a fast, practical wellness series designed to help you take charge of your everyday health. Produced by the DISC Health initiative, each weekly installment delivers three simple, actionable tips to prevent disease, tackle common health challenges, and connect you directly to trusted medical resources—giving you the tools you need to build healthy habits where you live, work, and thrive.

Our Partners

Biotechnology Health Management and Care

Dr. Lawrence Jones, Ph.D., serves as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Biotechnology Health Management and Care LLC in Pikesville, MD. He completed his doctorate in Entrepreneurial Leadership at Regent University’s School of Business and Leadership. His doctoral research evaluated leadership methods among biotechnology founders. Today, Dr. Jones actively leads ARGUS health initiatives to bring equitable care to the public.

Our Partners

Biotchnology Health Management and Care

Lawrence Jones Photo — Dr. Lawrence Jones, II

Dr. Lawrence Jones, Ph.D., is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Biotechnology Health Management and Care LLC in Pikesville, MD. He earned his doctorate from Regent University in the School of Business and Leadership with a concentration in Entrepreneurial Leadership. His doctoral research explored “An Exploratory Quantitative Comparison of Direct Reports’ Perceptions of Entrepreneurial Leadership of Biotechnology Founders Versus Nonbiotechnology Founders.” Dr. Jones leads the ARGUS health editorial team and connects our agency to health stories of interest and professionals in the health space.

Population, Health, and Social Justice

Dr. Fredrick Echols

Dr. Fredrick Echols, M.D. is the Founder and President of Population, Health, and Social Justice. Before his promotion, Dr. Echols served over 15 years in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County’s Health Departments as Health Commissioner, Director of Health, and Director of Communicable Disease, Vector, and Veterinary Programs. In addition, he also served as Chief of Communicable Diseases for the Illinois Department of Public Health and as a Physician for the United States Navy. Dr. Frederick Echols is a Boston University School of Medicine and Clark Atlanta University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Pre-Med. He also has additional training in the Center for Disease Control’s Population Health Training in Place Program.