Thursday, February 28, 2019
Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts
450 Masten Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14209
4:30 - 8 pm
The African American Health Disparities Task Force is a grass roots initiative that has brought together community and academic individuals who want to address and improve the health disparities in the African American population in Buffalo.
Members of at the task force from the University at Buffalo include faculty from Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Management Education, Law, Architecture and Planning, Clinical Translational Science Institute, and Public Health and Health Professions.
Members of the task force from the community include representatives from the faith community led by Pastor George Nicholas and Pastor Kinzer Pointer, staff from Millennium Collaborative Care, Population Health Collaborative of WNY, and ECMC, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, primary care, key stakeholders, law enforcement and labor unions.
Through guided breakout sessions informed by the social determinants of health, our aim is to explore the underlying root causes of health disparities by examining, discussing, and initiating action related to housing, health and healthcare, education and training, personal security, and employment, jobs and financial hardship.
Our first initiative, a conference, “Igniting Hope: Building a Just Community with a Culture of Health and Equity” held April 28, 2018 featured two nationally recognized speakers, Dr. Consuelo Wilkins and Dr. Stephen Thomas. Both of whom are experienced in initiating and engaging communities to effect a change in health disparities. The conference was well received by the more than 300 participants who attended.
Our upcoming event, 2019 Reimagining Forum: Health, Education, Social Justice, will be a community forum on the health impacts the practices of exploitive ticketing and avoidable school suspensions have on the health of African Americans living in the City of Buffalo. Through guided breakout sessions informed by the social determinants of health, our aim is to explore the underlying root causes of health disparities by examining, discussing, and initiating action related not only to disparate ticketing and suspension practices but housing, health and healthcare, education and training, personal security, and employment, jobs and financial hardship.
The keynote speaker for the forum is Buffalo native Dr. Shaun Nelms, Ed.D. Associate Professor, Warner School of Education, University of Rochester, current Superintendent of East High School (Rochester, NY) and former Deputy Superintendent of the Greece Central School District. Also speaking is Joanna Weiss, Co-Director of The Fines and Fees Justice Center in New York City.
www.finesandfeesjusticecenter.org** Healthy dinner will be provided! **
