Xavier Holds Health Disparities Conference

NEW ORLEANS - Xavier University’s College of Pharmacy will host the Fourth Health Disparities Conference March 27-29,2011 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.
The conference, titled “Utilizing Interdisciplinary Strategies to Advance from Disparity to Reform,” is sponsored by the Xavier Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities (CMHDRE).

This year’s conference has been designed to offer a focus on replicable multidisciplinary collaborative models and approaches from the clinical, research, and community arenas that integrate all levels of providers to improve health outcomes and eliminate health disparities.

“Mid-level providers, such as pharmacists and nurses, provide an increasing primary care resource,” said Dr. Leonard Jack, Xavier College of Pharmacy faculty member and program chair. “Low income, racial and ethnic, rural and migrant communities are particularly affected by health disparities, and Sources indicate that utilizing mid-level providers in a transdisciplinary environment can provide lower costs, improve quality care and access to care in many environments,” he said.

The conference will demonstrate models of successful implementation of projects using multidisciplinary healthcare teams to address disparities in chronic disease; examine the impact of a culturally and linguistically competent healthcare workforce in the delivery services; and discuss policy changes related to healthcare reimbursement at local and regional levels.

The mission of Xavier’s Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education is to provide the infrastructure required to conduct research. The center also provides basic, clinical, and behavioral experiential training and community outreach education aimed at eliminating health disparities.

Funding for the conference was made possible in part by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).