Category Archives: News

Easing the Mental Toll of HIV and AIDS

Easing the Mental Toll of HIV and AIDS

Epidemics and pandemics. HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. National and global issues affecting people around the world and highlighting health inequities that impact access to health and mental health care. During the physical and mental health stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions are also living with the ongoing effects of HIV/AIDS. “Since the global epidemic began, an estimated 79.3 million people have been infected with the HIV virus and 36.3 million people have died of HIV-related illnesses,” said Anton C. Bizzell, M.D., President/CEO of The Bizzell Group.

Individuals living with HIV/AIDS often experience discrimination, stigma, persecution, isolation, and exclusion, which can lead to depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and other negative mental health effects. There is proven benefit from mental health groups, HIV/AIDS support groups, talk therapy, physical exercise, and meditation.

Several effective vaccines were developed within the first year of the emergence of COVID-19, yet forty years after it was first identified there is still no vaccine for HIV/AIDS. Although there are still healthcare inequities, through the efforts from UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS), several U.S. government agencies (including U.S. Department of State) millions have received people-centered physical and mental health HIV services in over 55 countries. HIV/AIDS remains a public health and mental health crisis. While there is significant research, education, training, and technical assistance taking place, there is much more to do in the U.S. and around the world. Everyone needs to contribute to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Read more: Easing the Mental Toll of HIV-AIDS

Bizzell Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary and Gives Back to Orphanage in Africa

Bizzell Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary and Gives Back to Orphanage in Africa

 

December 14, 2021 (New Carrollton, MD) – The Bizzell Group (Bizzell), an award-winning strategy, technology, and consulting firm, was featured in local media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for its global health and humanitarian focus and contributions to the Leve Moi Orphanage, an organization founded to serve children orphaned by natural disasters like the May 2021 Mount Nyiragongo volcano eruption, on-going political conflict and tension, and health epidemics including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19.

Bizzell donated 30 bunk beds, 60 mattresses, and dozens of mosquito nets to Leve Moi Orphanage. The donations, locally sourced from DRC businesses, will help the orphanage continue to serve the ongoing needs of the children in Goma, as they do not receive State funding and rely on the goodwill of donors like Bizzell to deliver essential services such as free education and meals. Leve Moi Orphanage serves nearly 500 children each day from the surrounding community and houses dozens of children overnight. During the trip to DRC, Dr. Anton C. Bizzell, President/CEO, and members from Bizzell’s Global leadership team, Yomi Jones, Vice President of Finance & Global Operations, and Rose Amolo, Director of Global Programs, traveled over 2000 miles from Kinshasa to Goma to visit the Leve Moi Orphanage. The children of Leve Moi welcomed, embraced, and thanked the Bizzell team through song and dance during the visit.

Learn more about this story as covered by local media in Goma: https://youtu.be/yNriMkva9CQ

                                                   

Bizzell continued its 10 Year Anniversary celebration with its global staff in Kinshasa, honoring Bizzell’s DRC staff for their dedication to the firm’s global mission and international success. Dr. Bizzell addressed attendees at the celebration, noting Bizzell’s continued growth and global commitment, including expanding an initial two-person team into a global operation with representation in six countries around the world. In addition to Bizzell team members, other guests in attendance included staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Special Assistant to the President of DRC, Dr. Benjamin Bola, and other implementing partners and private sector representatives from Equity Bank and Vodacom.

Bizzell’s 10 Year Anniversary in DRC, combined with its philanthropic efforts continue to highlight and emphasize the firm’s focus on global expansion, addressing issues that improve the overall quality of life for people in low, emerging, and middle-income countries. DRC is the largest office in the Bizzell Global portfolio, with 13 staff implementing and supporting various global health protection activities including laboratory strengthening, health workforce development, early detection, treatment, and disease surveillance for Ebola, COVID-19, other epidemics and vaccine preventable diseases including Measles, Polio, Meningitis, Cholera, Monkey Pox.

About Bizzell

Established in 2010, Bizzell is a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) strategy, consulting, and technology firm with a passion to improve lives and accelerate change. Bizzell develops innovative solutions to some of the most critical issues of our time, including the opioid, Ebola, and COVID-19 epidemics. Under the leadership and vision of founder, Dr. Anton C. Bizzell, the company has grown into a thriving firm headquartered in New Carrollton, Maryland with staff and offices in various regions around the world including California, Colorado, Georgia, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Bizzell Receives HUBZone Certification from SBA

Bizzell Receives HUBZone Certification from SMALL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (SBA)

 

December 10, 2021 (New Carrollton, MD) – The Bizzell Group (Bizzell), a minority-owned small business specializing in strategy, consulting, and technology, is pleased to announce the company’s certification as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) business by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The HUBZone program fuels small business growth in historically underutilized business zones with a goal of awarding at least 3% of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year.

“The HUBZone certification will allow our firm to expand and provide employment opportunities to those in traditionally underserved areas,” said Anton C. Bizzell, M.D., President & CEO of Bizzell. “We are committed to identifying, cultivating, and connecting talent to federal projects that allow our teams to continue delivering data-driven, research-informed, innovative solutions to the world’s most complex health, economic, security, and sustainability challenges.”

To achieve HUBZone Certification, Bizzell had to meet specific criteria defined by SBA that included its principal office being located within a Federally Designated HUBZone area and 35% or more of its employees residing within HUBZone regions. As a certified HUBZone small business, Bizzell may receive program benefits, including eligibility for HUBZone set-aside awards, HUBZone sole source awards, the HUBZone Price Evaluation Preference in full and open competition, and HUBZone reserves. The HUBZone Certification also creates opportunities for Bizzell to generate additional jobs and stimulate economic development in urban and rural communities that have been designated as HUBZone areas.

About Bizzell

Established in 2010, Bizzell is a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) strategy, consulting, and technology firm with a passion to improve lives and accelerate change. Bizzell develops data-driven, research-informed, innovative solutions to some of the most critical issues of our time, including the opioid, Ebola, and COVID-19 epidemics. Under the leadership and vision of founder, Anton C. Bizzell, MD, the company has grown to a thriving firm with offices in New Carrollton, Lanham, and Rockville, Maryland; Atlanta, Georgia; Nigeria; and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Do Not Wait for a Holiday to Express Gratitude

Do Not Wait for a Holiday to Express Gratitude

Gratitude is a “trending notion” right now, but do people really know what it means to show, express, feel and embrace gratitude. Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation, gratefulness, or thankfulness for someone or something.  Whether it is trending or not, data shows that expressing gratitude or living a life in a grateful way has social, physical, and psychological benefits.  Believe it or not, gratitude helps you feel better, sleep better, and can even strengthen your relationships.  And it is a skill that can be developed with practice. Learning how to express gratitude can be as simple as saying please and thank you, writing thank you notes, listing your blessings, and sharing what you are thankful for with others.

Holiday seasons, anniversaries, and other momentous occasions, can stir up a lot of emotions including joy and sorrow, togetherness, and isolation. Choosing a grateful spirit and approaching life with a feeling of appreciation can lead to feelings of joy and togetherness instead of sorrow and isolation.  Now is a great time to start creating a gratitude practice so you can experience the benefits such as an improved outlook on life, reduced depression and anxiety, better physical health, and the ability to weather the storms of life such as this COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more about gratitude and its positive impact on health in Do Not Wait for a Holiday to Express Gratitude