African Peace Partners

David Niyonzima survived a massacre in 1993 in Burundi that was directed at him and a group of his Quaker students. This began David’s incredible journey of advocating and working with forgiveness and reconciliation plus learning how to heal traumatized clients.

David is a Quaker Minister with a master’s degree in counseling from George Fox University which awarded him its John Woolman Peacemaking Award in 2000. He is the Director of THARS (Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Services) in Bujumbura, Burundi where he developed a wide range of services including Listening Rooms, Support Groups and Community Mediation. He was a Fellow at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

David will be in Charlottesville September 16-19, 2013, commencing a national tour of speaking and 1/2 day workshops sponsored by THARS International (www.tharsinternational.com).

David will give a 5-hour seminar for professionals the day of Sept 19 at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities ($50 fee).

David will give a free presentation to the public the night of September 19, 7:30 pm at Tandem Friends School. David is an engaging and charismatic speaker. He is available for meetings and presentations in Charlottesville on September 17 and 18.

For more information or to assist, contact:

Jim Mustin - African Peace Partners

2706 Eton Road - Charlottesville, VA 22903

434/906-4239 - mustin3000@yahoo.com

The 2011 Health Disparities Profiles

The 2011 Health Disparities Profiles examines key health indicators at the state level for different racial and ethnic populations in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Twenty-two health indicators are presented, which highlight some of the key areas related to health disparities among different populations. It can be used as a reference for policymakers and program managers to identify areas where major health disparities exist in each state.

Click here to view your states report:  http://www.healthstatus2020.com/disparities/ChartBookData_search.asp



National Plan for Good Living 2009 – 2013

National Plan for Good Living 2009 – 2013


A plan that positions equity, health and good living in all state policies

Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Washington DC Time: 10:00 – 11:30 EST To verify the relation between Washington and your local time, you can access the World Clock

Quito Ecuador Time: 9:00 – 10:30

Toolkit on Health in All Policies: http://www.paho.org/hiap/

Seminar information: http://bit.ly/13dYqsX  

The National Plan for Good Living 2009-2013 is the instrument of the national government to create public policy to management and public investment.

It was built from claims for equality and social justice, and from the recognition, measurement and dialogue between peoples and cultures, knowledge and ways of life.

The Plan represents an example of political will and integrated response by government to reduce equity gaps and meet the basic needs of the population.

AGENDA

Introduction

Dr. Alfonso Contreras, Regional Advisor in Healthy Settings and Health Education, PAHO, Washington DC


Introduction to the National Plan for Good Living

Dr. Mario Valcarcel Novo, Acting Representative of PAHO / WHO in Ecuador.

National Plan for Good Living, intersectoral working example to reduce inequities and improve the health of the population

Magister Cecilia Vaca Jones, Minister for Social Development Coordinator in Ecuador

The health sector in the National Plan for Good Living and how it responds to the concept of health in all policies

Dr. Miguel Malo, Deputy Minister of Governance and Health Surveillance, Ministry of Health in Ecuador

Moderator: Dr. Zaida Betancourt, Undersecretary of Health Promotion and Equity, Ministry of Health in Ecuador

Health Equity Event

• Health Equity Initiative: Brown Bag Talk event. Influencing Health Equity-Related Policy in Urban Settings: Drug Policy in NYS. April 25, 2013, 12:30 p.m. - 2: 00 p.m. ET in New York, NY. Learn More


• HHS: Webinar. Healthy People 2020 Spotlight on Health Webinar: Social Determinants of Health. April 24, 2013, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET Learn More

• Center of Excellence for Transgender Health: Summit. 2013 National Transgender Health Summit. May 17 - 18, 2013 in Oakland, CA. Learn More

Heath Equity Events

Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies: Conference. National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education. May 28 - June 1, 2013 in New Orleans, LA. Learn More

Arizona Public Health Association: Spring Conference. Moving Arizona Communities Toward Health Equity. April 24, 2013 in Phoenix, AZ. Learn More

Health Equity

• Healthy Schools Campaigns: New report released. Health in Mind: Improving Education Through Wellness, a new report that details immediate solutions to help close the achievement gap and create a healthy future for all children. Read Full Report
• Maryland's Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities: New data report released. Maryland Chartbook of Minority Health and Minority Health Disparities Data: With Sections on Gender-specific Health and Jurisdiction-specific Health. Read Full Report 
• AHRQ/EHC Program: A new report released from the Closing the Quality Gap: Revisiting the State of the Science series. Through the Quality Kaleidoscope: Reflections on the Science and Practice of Improving Health Care Quality. Read Full Report
• National Council of La Raza: New report released. Equity in the Digital Age: How Health Information Technology Can Reduce Disparities. Read Full Report 
• AHRQ: New data report released. Minority Health: Recent Findings. Read Full Report

HEALTH DISPARITIES AND HEALTH EQUITY: Concepts and Measurement

There is little consensus about the meaning of the terms “health disparities,” “health inequalities,” or “health equity.” The definitions can have importantpractical consequences, determining the measurements that are monitored by governmentsand international agencies and the activities that will be supported by resourcesearmarked to address health disparities/inequalities or health equity. This paper aims toclarify the concepts of health disparities/inequalities (used interchangeably here) andhealth equity, focusing on the implications of different definitions for measurement andhence for accountability. Health disparities/inequalities do not refer to all differencesin health. A health disparity/inequality is a particular type of difference in health (or inthe most important influences on health that could potentially be shaped by policies);it is a difference in which disadvantaged social groups—such as the poor, racial/ethnicminorities, women, or other groups who have persistently experienced social disadvantageor discrimination—systematically experience worse health or greater healthrisks than more advantaged social groups. (“Social advantage” refers to one’s relativeposition in a social hierarchy determined by wealth, power, and/or prestige.) Healthdisparities/inequalities include differences between the most advantaged group in agiven category—e.g., the wealthiest, the most powerful racial/ethnic group—and allothers, not only between the best- and worst-off groups. Pursuing health equity meanspursuing the elimination of such health disparities/inequalities.

Click here to read more

2012 Virginia Rural Health Action Conference

"You might be rural if." It sounds like the set-up for a joke that's likely to elicit a few groans. But the public health issues facing rural Virginia are no joke. The 2012 Virginia Health Equity Report estimates that the total costs of health disparities/inequities associated with living in a rural area instead of an urban area in Virginia cost $692 million annually.

Rural Virginians tend to die at an earlier age than non-rural residents. Some areas have an average life span up to 19 years below the state average, 59.6 years compared to 78.5 years. Rural areas also tend to have higher poverty rates and lower educational levels than urban Virginia, correlating to having limited health opportunities.

With these facts in mind, the Virginia Public Health Association and the Virginia Rural Health Association are joining together to offer the 2012 Virginia Rural Health Action Conference on October 8 and 9 at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel. Public health practitioners, concerned citizens, planners, policy makers, advocates and anyone with an interest in the health of rural Virginia will come together to explore the wide-variety of issues having an impact on the public health of rural Virginians and work to develop creative cross-sector solutions that can be incorporated into an updated State Rural Health Plan.

We want participation from everyone with a stake in the health of rural Virginia. Your input in the Virginia Rural Health Action Conference is highly valued and will help identify the priority items for the new Rural Health Plan.

Advance registration is required.

Registration fees are $160 for VAPHA and VRHA members, $210 for

Nonmembers, and $90 for Students. Fees will increase after September

28th. Fees support program costs and administration.

Click below for more information:

http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/healthpolicy/Documents/SponsorshipandExhibit%20Opportunities.pdf  
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/healthpolicy/Documents/brochure_distributed_0001.pdf  

For complete details, visit the VAPHA web site at www.vapha.org.

The Health Care Law and You: How does the ACA help Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders?

Sponsored by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, this webinar will feature representatives from the Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the community who will speak about how the Affordable Care Act will increase health care access and reduce health care disparities for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Title: The Health Care Law and You: How does the ACA help Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in Region 2 (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands)?
Date: Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

Speakers will include:

• Jaime Torres, Regional Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Region II
• Juliet Bui, Health Advisor, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
• Noilyn Abesamis-Mendoza, Health Policy Director, Coalition for Asian American Children & Families
• Rhodora Ursua, Community Partner, Project CHARGE

Please register here to receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

*Note: this webinar is off the record and not intended for press purposes.

Research Corner

Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness and Mental Health Service Use among Black Fathers Doyle, O.; Joe, S.; Caldwell, C. H. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, Supplement 2 (May), p. s222-s231, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300446

Gathering Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data in Health IT: Better Information Can Help Close Disparities Gap / Baker, K. -- Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 2012 / 4 p.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/02/pdf/baker_lgbt_fact_sheet.html

Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients / American Psychological Association (APA). American Psychologist, v. 67, #1 (January), p. 10-42, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0024659

Hispanic Lesbians and Bisexual Women at Heightened Risk or Health Disparities / Kim, H. J.; Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. I. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, #1 (January), p. e9-e15, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300378

The Influence of Implicit Bias on Treatment Recommendations for 4 Common Pediatric Conditions: Pain, Urinary Tract Infection, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Asthma / Sabin, J. A.; Greenwald, A. G. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, #5 (May), p. 988-995, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300621

Medication Adherence among Latino and Non-latino White Children with Asthma / McQuaid, E. L.; Everhart, R. S.; Seifer, R.; Kopel, S. J.; Mitchell, D. K., et al. Pediatrics, v. 129, #6 (June), p. e1404-e1410, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-1391

Modeling the Impact of Social Discrimination and Financial Hardship on the Sexual Risk of HIV among Latino and Black men who Have Sex with Men / Ayala, G.; Bingham, T.; Kim, J.; Wheeler, D. P.; Millet, G. A. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, Supplement 2 (May), p. s242-s249, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300641

The Relationship Between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Lung Disorders in Northern Plains and Southwest American Indians / Sprague, D.; Bogart, A.; Manson, S.; Buchwald, D.; Goldberg, J. / American Indian Services Utilization, Psychiatric, Epidemiology, Risk and Protective Factors Project (AI-SUPERPFP). Ethnicity & Health, v. 15, #6 (December) p. 569-579, 2011.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13557858.2010.500017

Religious Climate and Health Risk Behaviors in Sexual Minority Youths: A Population-based Study / Hatzenbueler, M. L.; Pachankis, J. E.; Wolff, J. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, #4 (April), p. 657-663, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300517

Taking It Like a Man: Masculine Role Norms as Moderators of the Racial Discrimination-Depressive Symptoms Association among African American Men / Hammond, W. P. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, Supplement 2 (May), p. s232-s241, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300485

Trying to Breathe Easy / Moscou, S. Minority Nurse, (Spring), p. 14-16, 2012.
http://www.minoritynurse.com/trying-breathe-easy

Young Native American Men and their Intention to use Family Planning Services / Rink, E.; Fourstar, K.; Elk, J. M.; Dick, R., et al. American Journal of Men's Health, v. 6, #4 (July), p. 324-330, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1557988312439226

Save the Date: 2012 Summit on the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities

Save the Date: 2012 Summit on the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities
The 2012 Summit will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland, from October 31 - November 3, 2012. For more information, please contact 2012summit@mail.nih.gov.

Call for Abstracts
Abstracts are invited for oral, poster, and panel presentations focused on integrating science, practice, and policy to build a healthier global society.

Health Equity Making the Economic Case for Health Equity: State and Tribal Solutions Webinar.

Health equity is an economic issue as well as a social justice issue. Significant inequities and disparities exist between different racial/ethnic groups, socioeconomic classes, geographical location, and in social determinants of health such as poverty, education, inadequate housing, and unsafe working conditions. The burden of health inequities constitutes a huge financial and social cost to our nation in terms of the quantity and quality of life. Join ASTHO's webinar on June 22, 2012 for a thoughtful discussion on this topic.
Click here to register