USA Center for Healthy Communities Center of Excellence Hosts Regional Health Disparities Symposium

Mobile Municipal Judge Karlos Finley speaks to attendees at the 2015 USA Center for Healthy Communities Center of Excellence Regional Health Disparities Symposium on June 26, 2015.

The University of South Alabama Center for Healthy Communities Center of Excellence hosted the 2015 Regional Health Disparities Symposium on June 26, 2015, at the Red Cross Headquarters in Mobile. Event attendees represented a diverse cross section of our region, including community members; high school students participating in the Stars and Stripes Program; agency representatives; USA researchers and faculty; and USA Center for Healthy Community team members.

During the symposium, participants discussed ways to reduce and eliminate health disparities in the community. The aim of each session was to identify stakeholders and create action teams to implement solutions around the following questions:

•    Family Health – What is the relationship between family violence and health outcomes?
•    Health Literacy – How do you understand what your doctor is saying?
•    Mental Health – Why do we suffer in silence?
•    Nutrition – How can we make fresh foods accessible to everyone?

The meeting identified priority areas and developed preliminary action plans that will lead to community health advocate-directed projects to be implemented during the next one to two years.

The Center for Healthy Communities is the lead entity within USA for coordinating community education, research, public service and health activities to help eliminate health disparities, foster access to health care for underserved populations and enhance the capacity of individuals to better participate in decision making about their health.

Click here to view photos from the event.