HEADLINE NEWS - News

Wednesday - 11/14/2001

Baltimore Ravens punter Kyle Richardson has teamed with MedStar Health and Ravens Radio this season to help raise money and awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred as Lou Gerhig's Disease. Kyle will donate $100 for every successful punt inside the 20-yard line to the National Capital Area Chapter of the ALS Association. MedStar Health, the region's largest healthcare system, will match $100 for each kick.

"Having a close friend who is suffering with ALS, I am glad to use my football skills to generate money for a cure and to create awareness of Lou Gerhig's Disease," said Richardson. "The union formed between myself and MedStar is an exciting opportunity to assist individuals afflicted by ALS."

"This promotion is just another way MedStar Health works to help make the community a healthier place to live, work and play," said John P. McDaniel, CEO, MedStar Health. "Plus, what better way to raise awareness about ALS and other health issues than to partner with Kyle Richardson and Ravens Radio. MedStar Health, its seven hospitals, and 22,000 caregivers are thrilled to support Kyle."

ALS is a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disorder that attacks certain nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. When the affected nerve cells die, the ability of the brain to start and control muscle movement dies with them. The muscles themselves then waste away, leaving the patient paralyzed and eventually unable to speak, swallow or even breathe. Although the disease may rob a patient of virtually all voluntary muscle action, it does not affect the mind. ALS has no know cause or cure.

There are approximately 30,000 people in the United States now living with ALS. Every year, around 5,000 of them die and another 5,000 are newly diagnosed with the disease. Half of all ALS patients die within three years
of diagnosis.

MedStar Health is a not-for-profit, community-based healthcare organization comprised of 25 integrated business including seven major hospitals in the Baltimore/Washington area. The hospitals, which include both teaching and community facilities, are Franklin Square Hospital Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, Harbor Hospital and Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and Georgetown University Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, and National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C. MedStar Health is the third largest employer in the region with more than 22,000 employees and over 4,000 affiliated physicians.

For more information contact Kenneth Abrams, Ravens Corporate Community Partnership Manager, at (410) 986-5218 or Jean Reuter, MedStar Health Corporate Communications Manager, at (410) 772-6670.