UNMC and co-sponsors in 12 cities across Nebraska invite the public to participate in a free health educational series titled, Building Bridges to Better Health: Addressing Gaps in Health Care. The series will run on Thursdays, Nov. 6, 13 and 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (CDT).
In Omaha, the Mini-Medical School series will be held at the UNMC College of Nursing Cooper Auditorium, 42nd Street & Dewey Avenue. It will be broadcast live to 12 Nebraska communities: Columbus, Grand Island, Hastings, Holdrege, Kearney, Lincoln, Norfolk, North Platte, O’Neill, Red Cloud, Rushville and Scottsbluff.
The public will learn about diabetes, cancer, infant mortality and heart disease, while exploring how the conditions impact minority populations and community health. The goal of UNMC Mini-Medical School is to educate Nebraskans on health issues that affect them, as well as highlight the strides being made in research and treatment at UNMC.
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To get more information about the series, go to: www.unmc.edu/gaps. While the program is free to the public, Nebraska and Iowa nurses who wish to receive six contact hours of continuing nursing education credits can do so at a cost of $30 through the UNMC College of Nursing. |
For example, Dr. Romero said 30 percent of Latinos don’t have health insurance. “It limits their access to health care significantly,” said Dr. Romero. “Underrepresented minorities also have substantially poor access to mental health services. The basis for addressing these problems is understanding what the problems are. First and foremost, we need to do research and then find ways to address problems within the cultural and linguistic context.”
Despite recent progress in overall national health, there are continuing disparities in the incidence of illness and death among African Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans as compared with the U.S. population as a whole.
Recent studies have shown that racial and ethnic minorities often have a more difficult time accessing care and have worse health outcomes compared to other Americans. Research also has shown that people who live in rural areas are receiving less preventive care and medical treatment than their urban counterparts.
“With racial/ethnic minority populations growing faster than the population as a whole, as well as increasing in rural areas, addressing disparities in health care needs to be a priority,” Dr. Romero said.
UNMC Mini-Medical School dates, topics and presenters:
Thursday, Nov. 6: “What do we mean by health disparities?” presented by Mary Haven, associate dean, UNMC School of Allied Health Professions; “Dealing with Diabetes,” presented by Jennifer Larsen, M.D., professor and section chief, UNMC internal medicine: section of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism; and “Combating Cancer,” presented by Ralph Hauke, M.D., assistant professor, internal medicine: section of oncology/hematology.
Thursday, Nov. 13: “The Impact of Infant Mortality,” will be presented by Magda Peck, Sc.D., professor, UNMC department of pediatrics; and “Getting a Handle on Heart Disease,” by Richard Rigmaiden III, M.D., assistant professor, UNMC internal medicine, section of cardiology, and director, Minority Health Education and Research Office.
Thursday, Nov. 20: “Developing Cultural Competency,” by Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for UNMC academic affairs and dean for graduate studies; “Patient Safety in Medical Research,” by Bruce Gordon, M.D., chairman, UNMC Institutional Review Board and associate professor, UNMC pediatric hematology/oncology & stem cell transplantation.
A panel discussion, “Efforts to address health disparities in Nebraska communities,” will be presented by: Gretchen Forsell, executive director, Northern Nebraska Area Health Education Center; Sarah Cunningham, Ph.D., executive director, Central Nebraska Area Health Education Center; Wayne Houston, UNMC community liaison – North Omaha, UNMC Community Partnership and Jose Romero, M.D., associate professor, pediatrics and pathology/microbiology, and chief Latino recruitment officer for UNMC.