Health Disparities Conference Set for Nov. 4
JONESBORO — The fourth annual Health Disparities Conference gets underway at Arkansas State University, Friday, Nov. 4, in the Carl R. Reng Student Union, 101 N. Caraway Road. All activities are on the third floor.
“Bridging the Gap Between Health Disparities in the Delta” is the conference theme. Discussion begins at 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. Cost is $60 for professionals, $10 for A-State students and $25 for faculty and staff. There is a lunch fee of $10.
The conference is hosted by the Department of Social Work at A-State. Coordinators include Dr. Patricia Guy-Walls, associate professor, co-chair and bachelor of social work program director, and Dr. Patricia Wilkerson, associate professor of social work.
Dr. Charlotte Lewellen Williams, associate professor of public health and director of the Center on Community Philanthropy at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, is the keynote speaker.
Free screenings for depression, blood pressure, diabetes, sexual health testing and other health screenings will be provided during the conference. A special feature will include undergraduate senior level social welfare policy students’ poster presentations from 12-1 p.m. in Centennial Hall.
Other speakers will also be in attendance to address health disparities in the Delta, including Chasity S. Collins, master of arts in teaching, “Teaching an Analysis of Effective Patient Education in Social Work and Osteopathic Medicine”; Pamela Lewis-Kipkulei, OTD, OTR and Jessie Bricker, MS, OTR, “Factors Related to Childhood Obesity”; Dr. Jocelyn Martin, MSW and Dr. Rejoice A. Addae, LMSW telemedicine, “Best Practices and Ethics”; Jerrod Lockhart, project director, Student Support Services on minorities and mental health; and Dr. Grover Evans who will look at seven key areas in the Delta as it relates to disability policies and access to health care services in the Delta region.
Also in attendance are Dr. Jody Long, LCSW and Dr. Evi Taylor, LCSW “Patient Resistance Versus Clinician Resistance”; Terry Moody, DNP, APRN-BC, “Increasing the Awareness of Disease Risk Factors among African Americans through a Church Ministry”; Ashley Young, certified public health educator, “The state of HIV/AIDS in Arkansas”; Jacob Schultz, personal trainer on health mindfulness; and Dr. Cristy Phillips, assistant professor in physical therapy, “The Neuroprotective Effects of Exercise for Persons Affected by Alzheimer’s Disease.”
For additional information, contact Barbara Brooks, Department of Social Work, at (870) 972-3984 or via email at bbrooks@AState.edu.
