HealthPlus: Black Health and Wellness Publication Launches

Legacy media outlet The Atlanta Voice unveils its first-ever health and wellness digital-first magazine

HealthPlus, The Atlanta Voice’s new monthly, digital-first magazine covering topics related to African American health and wellness has officially launched. 

At a time when Covid-19 has created an unprecedented global pandemic that has deeply impacted the lives of African Americans, including the politicization of vaccines, and toxic work environments that have spiraled into a record-breaking, actively trending #GreatResignation, HealthPlus is focusing on closing the gaps in awareness, prevention, diagnosis, research, trials, treatment and care that contribute to lingering health disparities affecting people of African descent in the United States.

HealthPlus offers fresh content through engaging, interactive storytelling from a talented ensemble of veteran editors, journalists, photographers and designers. Their collaborative efforts have curated an informative, visually stunning media source that will empower and fully equip African Americans with the tools and resources they need to navigate the challenges of healthcare, self-care, and a complicated healthcare system.

HealthPlus will feature everything from news and updates, feature stories, historical essays, best practices, commentaries and interviews. HealthPlus will engage with a diverse group of stakeholders committed to helping Black and brown communities improve their health and the quality of their lives. HealthPplus will engage doctors, psychologists, celebrities, authors, clinicians, chefs, dieticians, nutritionists, humanitarians, counselors, athletes, personal trainers, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, academicians, and survivors of various illnesses to create content and  dialogue about improving Black health. 

Arranging its content and information in a practical, easily accessible fashion, HealthPlus brings exciting content about today’s most critical health concerns to digital consumers. “Health Bites,” one of HealthPlus’s key features, will serve quick blurbs on the latest health-related news. Rotating banners will highlight the new content available on the site. Additional topics will focus on all parts of Black health including exercise, medications, media, pop culture, homeopathic remedies, and various organizations and individuals on the ground working everyday to motivate Black people to take their health more seriously.

Twelve years in the making, HealthPlus is the vision of Janis Ware, publisher of The Atlanta Voice and HealthPlus. HealthPlus is a serious effort to inspire the Black community to take control of their physical, mental, spiritual, and financial health in order to improve the quality of life for the community-at-large. 

“I am thrilled that the a vision of providing a platform that allows and affords individuals access to information that could influence changes in behavior has finally arrived. Change that could ultimately alter the quality of their lives. HealthPlus is truly a platform whose time has come,“ says Ware.

The Atlanta Voice, launched with the motto,”A People Without a Voice Cannot Be Heard,” elevating the lives, stories and events of Black Atlantans since 1966. HealthPplus is now elevating the voices of Black Atlantans as it relates to health and wellness. 

“Building on the tremendous legacy of The Atlanta Voice for elevating Black voices and stories, HealthPlus will unearth the information and stories Black communities need to see and hear in order to have improved health, access, and overall experiences with the healthcare system. Our team is sensitive to the historic challenges that African Americans face due to discrimination, including a lack of access to accurate information, resources, research trials, and  abuse and exploitation due to blatant discrimination. Located in a city that houses world leaders in healthcare, research, science and innovation, HealthPlus was created to right those historic wrongs, while providing a road map for better health and wellness for Black Atlantans,” says HealthPlus editor-in-chief Nsenga K. Burton. 

Working well over a year on launching the vertical and its ancillary products (e-newsletter and e-magazine), the HealthPlus team features a veteran editorial and business team. The HealthPlus team includes editor-in-chief Nsenga Burton, senior consulting editor Valerie Boyd, editorial director James Washington, creative director Michael Grant, and social media director director Alexis Grace. Unfortunately, Boyd, a former arts editor for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, University of Georgia professor of journalism, and author of “Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston,”  lost her battle to pancreatic cancer on February 12, 2022. The inaugural launch of HealthPlus is dedicated to Valerie’s memory.

HealthPlus is the first of the brand’s digital and multimedia properties. Along with the website, e-magazine and e-newsletter, HealthPlus will offer podcasts, livestreams and robust video content in the near future. For more information, visit healthplusmagazine.org.

This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton and Christopher A. Daniel. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual or @Journalistorian. 

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