WASHINGTON (9/30/05) -- Hyde Park Communications received the 2005 Thoth Award for the Morehouse School of Medicine’s Men’s Health Initiative public service announcement (PSA) program, “Morgan Freeman Encourages Men to Visit the Doctor.” The award was presented last night at the 37th Annual Thoth Awards gala held by the National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

The PSA program, which featured Academy Award- winning actor Morgan Freeman, included five radio spots aired by stations nationwide that encouraged poor and minority males to visit their doctor. These audiences, often uninsured, are two of the most underserved in health care, and therefore are among the least likely to receive preventative medical care.

The PSA program, which featured Academy Award- winning actor Morgan Freeman, included five radio spots aired by stations nationwide that encouraged poor and minority males to visit their doctor. These audiences, often uninsured, are two of the most underserved in health care, and therefore are among the least likely to receive preventative medical care.

“Helping the Men’s Health Initiative reach out to people in need of increased preventative health care is the kind of project our firm finds important and rewarding,” said Jeffrey M. Sandman, CEO of Hyde Park Communications. “We are honored to have our hard work, creativity and thought recognized by our peers.”

"The diversity and quality of the entries in this year's Thoth Awards competition demonstrate once again that some of the finest public relations in the country is practiced in the Washington, DC, metro area," said Bob Bryant, APR, president of the PRSA National Capital Chapter.

The National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America is the largest chapter in the country. Thirty-five Thoth Award winners and 14 Certificates of Excellence winners were chosen from 144 entries in 34 categories.

The Men’s Health Initiative, managed by the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine and funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, works to encourage changes in policy at the local level by raising awareness and providing a deeper understanding of the plight of underserved men in need.