Newspapers Cover Minority Health Initiatives
Several newspapers and a local news station recently published articles related to health issues among minorities. Summaries appear below.
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Contra Costa Times: Bay Point Family Health Center in California has enlisted two "African-American health conductors" to survey black community members to help improve access to care, the Times reports. Through grants from Kaiser Permanente and the Keller Canyon Landfill Mitigation Fund, the conductors will compile information collected from random personal interviews about Bay Point's health services for black community members and present results to the county health department, and supervisor and Kaiser Permanente. Of 100 families already surveyed, the conductors found that blacks in the community do not know where to find health care resources or are "too prideful" to seek help, according to the Times (Phillips, Contra Costa Times, 11/23).
- Memphis' Eyewitness News: The Tennessee Department of Health's Office of Minority Health and the Tennessee Minority Health and Community Development Coalition on Dec. 6 will host the second phase of a public health forum to discuss findings about health disparities in the state and policy changes that will be implemented. Various minority health groups are hosting the public forums in Tennessee cities. Participants will discuss phase two of the Populations of Color Health Status Report, which was released earlier this year. Community members are encouraged to attend and offer input for an update of the report, scheduled to be released next year (Eyewitness News, 11/29).
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Frederick News-Post: Health officials from Frederick County, Md., on Wednesday joined with state and federal officials and local health organizations and not-for-profit groupss to discuss ways to reduce health disparities among the county's minority population, the News-Post reports. The county plans to survey and assess the needs of the minority community and encourage residents to become involved in finding solutions, Carlessia Hussein, director of the Maryland Department of Mental Hygiene and the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, said (Hernandez, Frederick News-Post, 11/30).
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Vallejo Times-Herald: Nominees are being sought for an award that recognizes blacks in the San Francisco Bay Area for achievements in eliminating health disparities in the black community, the Times-Herald reports. The 2007 Champions for Health African-Americans is sponsored by the Solano Coalition for Better Health and the United Way of the Bay Area and will award six individuals and organizations at a ceremony in February. The award was established three years ago after a community assessment "found that African Americans seem to have health disparities that were much greater -- anywhere between two and 10 times greater" than other ethnic groups in the county, Vena Ford, program manager for the Solano County Disparities Elimination Project, said (McCockran, Vallejo Times-Herald. 11/27).