PRESS RELEASE: HFA Awarded CDC Cooperative Agreement for Blood Brotherhood Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 1, 2009
The Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA), a national nonprofit headquartered in Washington, DC has been awarded funding for a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The award, totaling $289,000 per year, supports a program aimed at providing social support, health information and skills to improve the health of older men with bleeding disorders, hemophilia and von Willebrand disease.
HFA launched the program in 2006 and was awarded its first CDC cooperative agreement in support of the Blood Brotherhood Program in September of 2007. The program expanded by two additional sites in the initial two-year funding cycle to include a total of 8 sites across the United States and seeks to provide 14 sites by 2014.
 Blood Brotherhood activities occur via multiple program and communications tools. A variety of activities are offered consisting of webinars, an online chat site (www.hemophiliafed.org), online podcasts, exercise programs and monthly face-to-face sessions occurring at HFA member organizations.
 “The HFA is honored and delighted to have been awarded a five-year cooperative agreement from the CDC. Over the first two years of this project, we saw a positive, growing interest and need for programs that provide education and social connections for adult men in our community. We’re proud to continue to deliver the Blood Brotherhood Program.” states Kimberly Haugstad, HFA Executive Director.
The Hemophilia Federation of America is a national 501(c)(3) organization consisting of 30 member organizations and numerous individual members who offer assistance and grassroots advocacy on behalf of the bleeding disorders community.   Incorporated in 1994, the HFA provides programs and services to improve the quality of life for persons with hemophilia and von Willebrand disease (VWD). 
For more information, visit our website at www.hemophiliafed.org or call 1-800-230-9797.
HFA CONTACT:  Susan Swindle, Development Director
Phone: 713-203-8540 Email: s.swindle@hemophiliafed.org