The African American and Latino Health Coalitions, convened by Common Ground Health, will host the annual Speak Life! Health Equity Conference. This year’s virtual event – titled Revive – is scheduled for Saturday, April 23, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The free conference is open to the public and is being presented by the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Revive will tackle some of the most challenging issues related to widespread inequities that impact our healthcare system. Speakers will offer a sense of renewed hope and energy, and set the stage to create a collective plan of action to eradicate racism and discrimination in the context of physical, mental, and emotional health.
“Revive is a powerful theme that places emphasis on the need to ignite, unite, uplift, and motivate our community as we work to solve and tackle issues of racism, discrimination, mental health, and inequities in our healthcare system,” said Dr. Linda Clark, chief medical officer for Common Ground Health.
“We’re excited and grateful to have nationally-acclaimed writer and medical ethicist, Harriet Washington, as our keynote speaker who will shed light on historical and current mistrust of our healthcare system as it relates to disparities in health outcomes, including mental health and gun violence,” added Dr. Clark.
Washington is the author of six books, including the acclaimed Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present and Carte Blanche: the Erosion of Medical Consent in Medical Research. She will be joined by Dr. S. Michelle Ogunwole, health disparities researcher and Johns Hopkins University professor; Denise Smith, executive director of the National Association of Community Health Workers; and John Rodriguez, award-winning entrepreneur and change agent.
This year’s event will also honor Community Equity Champions. Common Ground Health will be honoring two community members with the Rev. Dr. Weldon Thomas Faith and Medicine Award and the Dr. Constantino Fernandez Community Leadership and Advocacy Award.
The 2022 Speak Life! Health Equity Conference is a free virtual event open to the public. Community members can register to attend and find more details at commongroundhealth.org/speaklife2022.
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