Past Training and Events Archive:
2008 and Earlier

2007 Events | 2006 Events | 2005 Events

Joint Center Hosted a Press Briefing on Health Equity and the Economy, February 25, 2009, Washington, DC
The recently signed stimulus package has great potential to improve health and reduce health inequality—if implemented correctly. Examining the stimulus package using a health lens is vitally important because the recession is likely to shorten lifespans and widen health disparities among racial and ethnic groups and socioeconomic groups. Participants in this briefing discussed the major determinants of population health and the causes of health inequality, the growing health equity movement, and what might be done in the years ahead to lessen health disparities and improve health for all Americans.  

Special Premiere Screening of the Opening Episode of "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?" March 13, 2008
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, in collaboration with California Newsreel, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the American Public Health Association, The Praxis Project, and The Opportunity Agenda, hosted a special premiere screening of the opening episode of "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?" The screening took place on Thursday, March 13, 2008, at the Kaiser Family Foundation's Barbara Jordan Conference Center. The screening followed a networking reception and was followed by a panel discussion of the film and its subject.

National Medical Association's 2008 Colloquium, March 9-11, 2008
The annual NMA Colloquium was held March 9-11, 2008, at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. The theme was "The Nation's Obesity Crisis: Practical Solutions for the African American Community." The colloquium served as a leadership training and advocacy forum for physicians. It was designed to conduct focused explorations of critical health policy issues that affect African Americans, and to provide a forum for the development of NMA health policy positions to be advanced at the local, state, and federal levels. Click here to view information and videos from past colloquiums. For more information on the Colloquium, please contact Byron Sogie-Thomas at bsogie-thomas@nmanet.org.

Health Action 2008, January 24-26, 2008
For the second year in a row, Families USA offered a conference workshop track at Health Action 2008 that focused on minority health issues, including policy and grassroots efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. This year's track featured discussions on integrating health equity in state health reform, health coverage for immigrants, minority health coalitions, ethnic media, and special populations. The Health Policy Alliance offered a networking reception, panel discussion, and screening of the upcoming PBS documentary series, "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?". Panelists included Dr. Gail Christopher, W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Marcella Martinez, NALEO; and Makani Themba Nixon, The Praxis Project. For more information on the film, click here. To view highlights from this year's conference, click here.

Latino Legislative Forum on Health Disparities, December 7-9, 2007
NALEO hosted the Latino Legislative Forum on Health Disparities from December 7-9, 2007. This forum took place at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Forum workshops addressed the following topics: an overview of Latino health; federal legislation and the impact on states to address health disparities for vulnerable populations; state initiatives to expand health coverage; and legislative health leadership to address health disparities, wellness, and chronic disease. For more information on this forum, please contact Jose Carrillo at jcarrillo@naleo.org. 

Health Disparities and Policy Implications: Examining the Mental Health Needs of Incarcerated African Americans, ovember 10, 2007
Incarceration rates are among the highest for African Americans in Iowa. The National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color sponsored a health panel focusing on the link between mental health disparities and incarceration of African Americans. This health panel was held in conjunction with the Ongoing Covenant with Black Iowa (OCBI) Summit that took place in Waterloo, Iowa on November 10, 2007. Click here to read an article on the summit from the "Iowa Independent" newspaper. For more information on the summit, please contact Briana Webster-Patterson at info@healthpolicyalliance.org.  

Screening of "Unnatural Causes" at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, November 6, 2007
On November 6, 2007, The Health Policy Alliance hosted a screening of Unnatural Causes along with a panel discussion. The APHA Annual Meeting took place at the Washington Convention Center from November 3-7, 2007. For more information on the documentary screening and panel discussion, please contact Carla Gullat at cgullat@jointcenter.org. 

Journalists' Conference Call with Madeline Drexler, October 26, 2007
The Alliance hosted a conference call for journalists with Madeline Drexler, Joint Center Fair Health Fellow. This conference call focused on Ms. Drexler's experience covering health disparities, offered tips and tools for other journalists who cover this beat, and also discussed her past and current projects, including her Boston Globe article, How Racism Hurts-Literally. A replay of the call is now available online. RealPlayer (RealPlayer 8 or later) | Windows Media (Windows Media Player 9 or later)

Conference Call to Discuss Pay-for-Performance in Communities of Color, October 23, 2007
Families USA hosted a conference call on Tuesday, October 23rd. Robin Weinick, Ph.D, Senior Scientist, Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital discussed a new report that lays out policy recommendations for implementing a P4P program in Massachusetts designed specifically to reduce racial disparities and Byron Sogie-Thomas, a policy analyst for the National Medical Association (NMA), discussed the NMA's perspective on how pay-for-performance will affect African-American physicians and the communities they serve. RealPlayer | Windows Media

Collaboration of Health Professionals at the Point of Practice, August 4-9, 2007
NMA hosted their 2007 annual convention and scientific assembly, Collaboration of Health Professionals at the Point of Practice: Emphasizing the Collaborate Roles of Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Pharmacists, and Physician Assistants, in Honolulu, HI. 

NALEO's 24th Annual Conference, June 28-20, 2007
NALEO hosted their 24th annual conference at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Targeting elected and appointed officials, corporate representatives, members of academia and philanthropy, community leaders, and students, NALEO will host a health track focusing on the following health topics: mental health, obesity and chronic disease, health care access and insurance. 

Healthy Communities Initiative Policy Institute, April 27-29, 2007
NALEO hosted Healthy Communities Initiative Policy Institute in Seattle, Washington. This Policy Institute will serve as an intensive leadership development event designed to enhance the capacity for policymaking, practices and investments of 35-45 Latino elected and appointed officials to improve the quality of life for residents in their jurisdiction, and to address the issue of childhood obesity. 

Health Policy Journalism Institute: Covering Health Disparities, April 26-27, 2007
The Alliance hosted a health policy journalism institute in Atlanta, GA. This training was designed to bring attention to health policy issues that affect racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. and to ensure that journalists have the tools, resources, and information they need to report on these topics. More informationon the training. 

Town Hall Meeting, April 3, 2007
The NMA and the W. Montague Cobb Institute hosted a Town hall meeting on Pay-for-Performance for their members in Houston, TX.

The Quality Movement and Its Impact on Healthcare Disparities, March 24-27, 2007
The NMA hosted their 8th annual National Colloquium on African American Health. This year’s colloquium, The Quality Movement and Its Impact on Healthcare Disparities, explored issues around the National Health Disparities Report, pay-for-performance, smoking cessation, and other topics. The colloquium took place at the Westin Arlington in Arlington, VA.

Town Hall Meeting, March 17, 2007
The NMA and the W. Montague Cobb Institute hosted a Town hall meeting on Pay-for-Performance for their members in St. Louis, MO.

Alliance Partners One-Day Meeting, March 9, 2007
The Alliance Partners hosted a one-day meeting in Washington, DC. This discussion, Universal and Equal: Ensuring Health Equity in Health Reform, outlined what states are doing to expand coverage, describe disparities-related provisions in state proposals, discuss policies and practices that reduce racial and ethnic health disparities, and set the context for developing a framework to ensure health equity in state health care reform. Click here for the agenda.

Forum, February 20, 2007
The Joint Center Health Policy Institute and the University of Michigan co-hosted a forum to discuss solutions for racially- and ethnically-linked disparities in pregnancy outcome. The event was held in Washington, DC.

Health Action 2007, January 24-26, 2007
Families USA hosted the first annual Minority Health track at Health Action 2007. The purpose of the track was to bring together minority health advocates from across the country to discuss activities at the national, state, and local level to address racial and ethnic health disparities; meet advocates from around the country engaged in this work; and reconnect with colleagues in the field. The track included sessions on: advancing the health disparities agenda and building a movement, state activities to improve minority health and reduce disparities, incorporating policy and legislative advocacy into health disparities work, dispelling myths surrounding immigrants and reframing the issue of immigrant health, and policies and practices related to cultural competence and language access. Click here for the full Health Action 2007 agenda, webcast, and materials from many of the plenaries and workshops.

Town Hall Meeting, January 13, 2007
The NMA and W. Montague Cobb Institute co-hosted a Town hall meeting in Sarasota, FL on Pay-4-Performance. 

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Nutrition and Physical Activity in the Latino Community, December 8-10, 2006
NALEO hosted a California Statewide Summit on Obesity entitled Nutrition and Physical Activity in the Latino Community. The event was held in Los Angeles, California. 

Town Hall Meeting, November 18, 2006
The NMA and W. Montague Cobb Institute co-hosted a Town hall meeting in Mississippi on Pay-4-Performance.
 

Biennial National Institute, November 16, 2006
NALEO hosted their 6th Biennial National Institute for newly elected Latino officials in Washington, D.C. They held a panel discussion focusing on health care issues. 

Panel Discussion and Press Briefing: Dellums Commission's Final Report, November 15, 2006
The Joint Center Health Policy Institute hosted a panel discussion and press briefing to release the Dellums Commission's final report with recommendations. The commission's report is a two-year study that focuses on policies at the federal, state, and local levels that limit the life options of young men of color. 

Health Policy Training for Religious Leaders, November 2, 2006
Families USA hosted a health policy training in Des Moines, IA for religious leaders. The training focused on faith leaders’ roles in promoting advocacy around health policies and reducing disparities in their local congregations and communities. More informtaion. 

Presidential Task Force on Pay-for-Performance, July 21, 2006
Chaired by the National Medical Association’s Immediate Past President, Sandra L. Gadson, M.D., the NMA hosted its inaugural meeting of the Presidential Task Force on Pay-for-Performance (P4P).

NALEO’s 23rd Annual Conference, June 22-24, 2006 
NALEO offered a “track” at their annual conference for participants interested in the Alliance’s work. The track consisted of an overview of health disparities issues; a discussion of the role public health programs play in minority communities; and how disparities and access to public programs affect the treatment of obesity and chronic disease within communities of color. 

Dismantling Health Disparities through Awareness, Leadership, and Action, May 18-19, 2006
The Joint Center hosted a training on May 18-19, 2006, in Atlanta, Georgia. This training was designed to identify the root causes of health disparities and to engage community leaders in the struggle to eliminate those causes. Click here for the agenda. 

Public Programs and Minorities, May 10-11, 2006 
The Alliance, in conjunction with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, hosted a day-and-a-half long training for journalists. This training was designed to bring attention to health policy issues that affect Latinos in the U.S. and to ensure that journalists have the tools, resources, and information they need to report on these topics. The training took place on Wednesday, May 10, 2006, and Thursday, May 11, 2006, at The California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities in Los Angeles, California. 

National Colloquium on African American Health, March 11-14, 2006 
On March 11-14, 2006, the NMA hosted a colloquium on African American health in Fairfax, Virginia that brought together more than 100 physicians and other community leaders. The colloquium focused on how physicians can be involved in policy advocacy around health disparities issues. 

California Statewide Summit on Latino Health, January 26-29, 2006  
On January 26-29, 2006, NALEO hosted the California Summit on Latino Health in Sacramento, California. The summit enabled participants to collaboratively develop strategies and solutions for health-related issues affecting Latinos in California. Additionally, the summit served as the launch event of NALEO’s California Health Leadership Program, an intensive technical assistance program for Latino elected officials targeting the problem of obesity in California. Approximately 40 elected officials from across the state attended the summit. 

Making Public Programs Work for Communities of Color, January 25, 2006
On January 25, 2006, Families USA hosted a training for community leaders in Washington, D.C. that brought together more than 50 diverse leaders representing the faith community, organized labor, state and local advocacy groups, and health care providers to discuss the role of Medicaid and Medicare in improving access to care and, ultimately, reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. More information.

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National Latino Legislative Summit: State of Diabetes in America, November 18-20, 2005
On November 18-20, 2005, NALEO hosted a summit in Miami, Florida on diabetes in the Latino community entitled "National Latino Legislative Summit: State of Diabetes in America." The summit discussed the prevalence of diabetes among Latinos and how policy developed at the state and national levels can reduce disparities in diabetes-related care. The summit also educated participants about different strategies legislators can employ to reduce these disparities and improve outcomes.

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