The Spring Health Braintrust "Reducing the Disparities: Making the Healthcare Delivery System Work for African Americans" will take place April 15 and 16 on Capitol Hill, Congresswoman Donna M. Christian-Christensen has announced.
Christensen chairs the Braintrust, which is the health policy-making body of the Congressional Black Caucus. It serves to define and shape the nation's health care agenda for minorities and underserved populations and fights for enhanced education and outreach activities and increased minority representation in health professions.
The goal of the Spring Health Braintrust is to recommend policy and develop community-based strategy to address the overarching factors that prevent African Americans from achieving optimal health.
The focus is to look at and discuss factors that contribute to the significant disparities in health status between African Americans and other racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
The conference will target disparities in the following areas:
— HIV/AIDS/Substance Abuse.
— Heart Disease/Stroke/Diabetes.
— Cancer.
— Infant Health/ Immunizations.
— Violence.
Christensen, the only woman physician to serve in the U.S. Congress, replaced Braintrust founder Rep. Louis Stokes as chair of the event upon his retirement last term.
"I am pleased to have this opportunity to serve the African American community as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus' Health Braintrust for the 106th Congress," Christensen said. "At this year's Braintrust, we hope to implement a community minded approach to provide solutions to the various disparities in African American health care."
A grants briefing for community-based organizations will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 15. The plenary session will follow on Friday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.