Vitamin | Press Room » Vitamin PR Executive Appointed to Chair American Diabetes Association Media Advisory Committee

Vitamin PR Executive Appointed to Chair American Diabetes Association Media Advisory Committee

Baltimore, Md. — February 05, 2007

Vitamin^® announced today the appointment of Amanda Karfakis to chair of the media advisory committee for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), central Maryland chapter.

Karfakis will spearhead the media and public relations planning for the ADA, along with the association’s executive director, Kathy Rogers. The committee’s vision for 2007 will follow that of the chapter - to dramatically increase awareness of diabetes in Maryland for those directly and indirectly affected by the disease.

Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in America, a widespread epidemic that affects nearly 21 million people across the U.S. and nearly 300,000 in Maryland alone. Every day more than 4,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes, which ultimately kills more people annually than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

“Working closely with the ADA for several years, I have seen the immense need to boost awareness of diabetes and educate the public about the astonishing prevalence of this disease,” said Karfakis. "The CDC predicts that one in three people who were born in 2000 will develop diabetes and society needs to be aware of this growing epidemic and the fact that it can be prevented." She continued, “I am honored to be given this amazing opportunity to lead the public awareness initiative."

As a three year volunteer of the ADA, Karfakis serves as the vice president of communications at Baltimore-based Vitamin, a design and marketing boutique. Karfakis has more than ten years of experience in marketing communications, with a specialty in public relations. She has extensive experience working with both healthcare and non-profit organizations, including XLHealth, a disease management company, The Hearing and Speech Agency, a non-profit human services organization, and Critical Connection, a healthcare search and staffing firm.

About Vitamin^®
Vitamin is the “Cure for the Common Brand,” the mid-Atlantic’s first boutique design-web-PR firm focused on nourishing brands through a best practices, all-in-house approach to creating cohesive identity, print, interactive and public relations programs. Vitamin’s diverse client list encompasses regional and national companies including numerous AEC firms, educational institutions, healthcare firms, restaurant/hospitality businesses, non-profit organizations, and specialized search/staffing firms.

About American Diabetes Association
Diabetes is an epidemic that affects nearly 20.8 million people in the United States, a leading cause of death in more than 224,000 people yearly. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information, and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the ADA supports affiliate offices in every region of the country providing services in more than 800 communities. In Maryland alone, 297,445 adults are affected by diabetes and the estimated annual direct and indirect cost of diabetes in the state is $4 billion. For more information, visit www.diabetes.org.