Givin' the 411 on the H1N1

It's a “rap.” Baldwin resident Dr. John Clarke won the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' H1N1 public service announcement contest with his rap video urging Americans to wash their hands regularly and practice other good hygiene habits to prevent the spread of the swine flu virus.

"I was excited and happy," said Clarke, the medical director for the Long Island Rail Road.

    Clarke's video, "Stop the H1N1," was selected from more than 240 videos submitted for the contest, which ran from July to the end of August. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that Clarke was the winner on Sept. 22. He will receive a $2,500 cash prize, and his video will be aired on national television.

    Clarke explained that he entered the contest by accident after perusing the health department's Web site for some contact information. When he discovered the contest, the 32-year-old saw something that was right up his alley. He has already released several rap and hip-hop albums to educate young people about asthma, allergies, drug use, HIV and smoking, so creating an awareness video for H1N1 was a no-brainer.

    "I get a lot of feedback," he said of his albums' popularity among children. "A lot of school nurses use them around the county. They’re effective at getting the message across."

    HHS officials were big fans of Clarke's video, describing it as both educational and entertaining. "I want to congratulate Dr. Clarke, the ‘hip hop doc,’ for producing his creative and engaging video," Sebelius said in an e-mailed statement. "His work will reach millions of Americans this flu season to remind them how to stay healthy."

    For more information about Clarke and his music, go to www.healthhopmusic.com.

The following is a sample of Clarke's lyrics from his "Stop the H1N1" rap. To watch the full video, go to www.liherald.com/baldwin.