Tacoma-Pierce Cunty Chamber of Commerce Release – Lt. Col. (Dr. Carl Gibson, Chief, Endocrinology Clinic, Madigan Army Medical Center, 2007 John H. Anderson Military Citizen of the Year Award, presented annually for the last 29 years by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber in recognition of outstanding contributions to the community made by service members who call Pierce County home.
“Lt. Col. Gibson, as a volunteer, gives to the community through a number of organizations,” said George Cargill, Northwest market vice-president for TriWest HealthCare Alliance, sponsor of the award.
Like John H. Anderson, a mayor of Tacoma during the 1950s, Dr. Gibson’s long list of projects demonstrates the special commitment to community improvement that the award is meant to highlight.
LTC (Dr) Gibson moved to Tacoma and Fort Lewis in July, 2000. He immediately started serving his community through his local church, St. John Baptist Church, located in the historic Hilltop area. He started the St. John Health Care Ministry planning, organizing and delivering many educational programs to the congregation. He directed the medical ministry to provide free blood pressure and blood glucose (sugar) checks during Sunday services. Under LTC (Dr.) Gibson’s direction, the health ministry collaborated with the Spanish Outreach Ministries from Life Christian Center in 2004. Together, they offered free health screenings to migrant workers and members of the community during an all-Saturday event in the churches’ parking lot. LTC (Dr) Gibson, also volunteers to help with annual community screenings held at events such as the Ethnic Fest (July) and annual Latino Festival in the community.
LTC (Dr) Gibson also served his community through service on the leadership council of the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association. He was chair of the Walk for Diabetes Program in 2004. He volunteers to give talks to community groups about diabetes prevention and management. He also volunteers each November as a speaker for the Annual Diabetes-Month Forum. He’s worked with the American Heart Association (AHA) and its outreach programs to the increase awareness of cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure and stroke) in the African American community. He has worked with the AHA Cultural Health Initiatives Subcommittee to help develop an education program for barbers and beauticians in the African American communities of Pierce and King Counties. As a result of these efforts, each participant business now has a device to automatically measure blood pressure. Each business owner has been trained to measure blood pressure and provide appropriate guidance to his or her clientele. This program received recognition by the AHA at a national gala held in Atlanta in May 2007.
LTC (Dr) Gibson has also spearheaded efforts to encourage collaboration amongst community healthcare educators. He founded the Health Coalition for Communities of Color, bringing together representatives from groups as diverse as the Korean Women’s Association, the Centro Latino, the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department, the NAACP, the Tacoma Urban League, the African American Fraternities & Sororities, youth groups, and many other civic and faith-based organizations. The Health Coalition’s mission is to advocate for ethnic minorities in the United States and eliminate disparities in healthcare delivery. Through education and knowledge transfer, the organization seeks to empower communities of colors to become active participants in their own care and to make health a top priority. The Coalition advocates equal access and delivery of healthcare to all communities.
LTC (Dr) Gibson has been instrumental to the delivery of several annual programs, to include General Health Overview (February), HIV/AIDS in the Youth Community (March), Women & Heart Disease (May), Men and Prostate Disease (September), and Seniors Health Expo (September). A broad range of professionals (doctors, nurses, registered dietitians, and psychologists) have participated. These educational programs are often hands-on experiences (e.g. cooking demonstrations by local chefs), and afford community members access to free health screenings such as mammograms, cholesterol measurement, blood pressure checks, diabetes screening, and prostate specific antigen measurement.
For each of the past two years, LTC (Dr) Gibson has taken time to be a speaker at the annual African American Legislative Day held in Olympia. He also volunteered to speak on “Race & Pedagogy” at a national conference held last year at University of Puget Sound.
LTC (Dr) Gibson has served on the board of Nativity House, Tacoma’s only day homeless shelter. He still finds time to return to Nativity House and help serve meals during the holiday period.
In 2004, LTC (Dr) Gibson was asked to testify before the Washington State Select Committee on Health Disparities. At the request of State Senator Rosa Franklin, he testified about the impact of education on the quality of life for the citizens of Pierce County.
There is no question that LTC (Dr) Gibson devotes countless hours and boundless energy to improving healthcare through education. He’s exploited non-traditional settings, working to help save the lives of those in this community. I strongly encourage you to select LTC (Dr) Gibson for this prestigious award.
About John H. Anderson
John H. Anderson served as Tacoma’s mayor in the early to mid 1950s. He is also a past Chair of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber Board of Directors, as well as a successful local businessman.
About Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber
Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber (www.tacomachamber.org) was founded in 1883. Its mission is to promote a strong business climate fostering economic opportunity and a more livable community through advocacy, networking, resources, and services for business development.
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