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Jefferson Surgical Solutions

Dr. Neva White consults with a community member.


Dr. Ronald Renzi, founder of the Save Your Soles program

Black men in Philadelphia experience amputation at twice the rate compared to other men across Pennsylvania. It’s a stark disparity that medical and community health leaders – including the Frazier Family Coalition – are working to reverse.

At the front lines of this effort are three dedicated clinicians: Jefferson vascular surgeon Paul J. DiMuzio, MD, Jefferson podiatrist Ronald Renzi, DPM, and Neva White, DNP, Executive Director of the Frazier Family Coalition for Stroke Education and Prevention (coordinated through Vickie & Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience). Through a collaboration among Frazier, Jefferson Health and Temple Health, peripheral artery disease screenings are being offered at barbershops, churches and other community centers in the North and West sections of the city.

Those are the areas of greatest need according to an analysis of 15 years of data on limb loss in Pennsylvania. Dr. Renzi, whose Save Your Soles program conducted the study, can readily name the highest-risk ZIP codes in the state: 19140 near Temple, 19132 near the Frazier Family Coalition Center and 19139 in West Philadelphia.

“In 2023 alone, 20 men and three women living in 19132 lost a limb due to diabetes and poor circulation,” he says. “Over the entire 15-year period, there were only five amputations in the suburban community of Blue Bell.”

At the screenings, clinicians and medical-student volunteers from Jefferson, Temple and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine ask men to fill out a brief questionnaire. It asks not only about their health history but also their level of trust in the medical community – a key factor in reducing limb loss.

“This is a challenging population to get through to,” Dr. White says. “Our partnerships with the barbershops are especially valuable in reaching and engaging men in a place where they feel comfortable.”

The volunteers then perform a non-invasive ankle-brachial index (ABI) test, which compares blood pressure readings in the arm and ankle to identify circulation issues. At nearly every event, the clinicians discover men with untreated high blood pressure, poor circulation or both. In one case, a screening led directly to a patient receiving vascular surgery within two weeks – potentially saving his limb.

At the screenings, Dr. DiMuzio, Dr. Renzi, Dr. White and other volunteers offer educational materials and resources, including a blood pressure monitor to take home for continued tracking.

Dr. White also later calls the men to see if they have questions or need support in following up on their health needs. By combining early detection with education and follow-up care, the team is working to create lasting change.

As Dr. DiMuzio notes, “There are multiple communities in Philadelphia that have virtually eliminated limb loss. We know what it takes medically. By building these relationships and performing early diagnoses, we can get closer to similar results for the black men in our community.”

For more information, visit FrazierFamilyCoalition.org.

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