FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 6, 2003
FY03-36
Inner City Conference Addresses Health Disparities
OAK RIDGE, TENN—Dr. Jennie Ward Robinson, director of medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, Ill., delivered a keynote address on minority health disparities at the “Our Health Is in Our Hands” Inner-City Health Conference held at the Payne Avenue Baptist Church.
Citing reports in The New York Times and The Washington Post, Robinson explained that health disparities persist across a wide range of diseases and medical services. Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and HIV/AIDS all affect minorities disproportionately.
“We need to look at the evidence and understand why disparities in health exist,” said Robinson.
Robinson pointed out that health disparities affect everyone. “All of us bear the cost [of health disparities] ultimately,” she said, through the negative impact on states’ economies and on social structures. Robinson described the “rippling effect” health disparities can have beyond the person directly affected. For example, an entire family suffers when the head of household dies before children are raised.
The conference was organized by the Consumer Health Resource Information Services (CHRIS) Project, a collaborative, faith-based pilot program funded by the National Library of Medicine to address minority health disparities. CHRIS is the largest federally funded, faith-based initiative in East Tennessee.
The faith-based nature of the project helps to advance CHRIS goals. “Black churches have long been the focal point of social change,” said Rose Marie Durham, project manager.
Robinson encouraged those in attendance to take action. “I’m giving you all this information, but you will then have homework: to go home and be sure these things happen, or we will have this conversation again in 2020.”
Robinson suggested a number of ways to address health disparities, including:
- Enhancing patient-provider communication and trust
- Making interpretation services available
- Educating patients about care options
- Providing cross-cultural training to health professionals
- Monitoring progress toward elimination of health disparities
Lisa Faulkner, president of Chi Eta Phi nursing sorority, urged community members and civic leaders in attendance to pass along what they learned at the conference. “The things that you learn today, don’t keep it to yourselves. Take it back to your community,” she said.
The CHRIS Project was developed by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. ORISE facilitates the CHRIS Project in partnership with Chi Eta Phi nursing sorority, Baptist Health System Parish Nursing Program, Knox County Health Department, Tennessee Department of Health, and the Knoxville Minority Health Coalition.