NBCI Heart First Program Launches A $450,000 Campaign for the Rev. Thomas Hart, Who Needs a Heart Transplant

Heart Disease is the Number one Killer of Americans.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 150,000 African American and Latino faith communities, constituting 27.7 million members. It is utilizing its enormous membership to help save the life of one of its beloved leaders in Savannah, Georgia. Rev. Thomas Hart currently serves as the faith command leader of Savannah. We need the support of every Christian in our beautiful country to help us with this campaign.

Black people in need of a new heart are less likely than their white peers to get a transplant, and when they do, they're more likely to die afterward, according to new research.

Rev. Hart says, “ I am truly thankful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his ever-present love, mercy, and grace. I need everyone's support, even if it is just a holy dollar. I want to thank my brother in Christ personally, Rev. Anthony Evans, who has been more than a friend and much like a brother. I cannot say enough about the love of my family, especially my sister, Michele, who gave up her career to come to Savannah to take care of me. God bless all.”

A study, published Wednesday in the American Heart Association Journals, analyzed the impact of changes made in 2018 to how transplants are allocated to expand availability. That year, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) revised its allocation system, aiming to improve access to organs for the sickest patients and reduce racial and regional disparities. The older system created longer waiting times for people in diverse, high-population cities, potentially affecting Black and Hispanic recipients disproportionately.

Rev. Anthony Evans, President of The National Black Church Initiative, says, “Heart failure is a serious problem and NBCI is on the frontline throughout Heart First to do something about it in the black community. The data tells the story.”

Evidence for this situation was reported in 2018 at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions conference. The preliminary research suggested that between 2005 and 2016, Black patients experienced longer wait times for a heart transplant than other racial and ethnic groups.
For the new study, researchers analyzed heart recipient characteristics and outcomes for 32,353 people spanning about a decade of UNOS data from 2011-2020. They found that since the new transplant allocation system started in 2018, Black, Hispanic and white patients overall spent less time on waiting lists and had better chances of receiving a heart.

But some racial disparities remained.

Compared to their white counterparts, Black patients continued to have a 10% lower likelihood of transplantation. Researchers also found Black patients had a 14% higher risk of post-transplant death during the 10 years, compared to white patients.


ABOUT NBCI
The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 150,000 African American and Latino churches, comprising 27.7 million members, that works to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, and the environment. NBCI’s mission is to provide critical wellness information to all of its members, congregants, churches, and the public. The National Black Church Initiative’s methodology utilizes faith and sound health science. We also offer our member congregants and the public helpful and healthy science-based tips on how to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The National Black Church Initiative’s purpose is to partner with major organizations and officials whose primary mission is to reduce racial disparities in various areas, as cited above. NBCI provides faith-based, innovative, and cutting-edge solutions to complex economic and social challenges. NBCI’s programs are guided by credible statistical analysis, science-based strategies and techniques, and methods that are proven to be effective.

Anthony Evans
National Black Church Initiative
+1 202-744-0184
email us here

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.