Leaders from across the country will explore the past, present, and future of health equity
BOSTON - On Thursday, September 12, Boston Medical Center Health System (BMCHS) will host EQTY 2024: Accelerating Health Justice, the second annual conference focused on the latest innovations in advancing racial health equity across the country. The Summit, led by BMC’s Health Equity Accelerator, will allow leaders to share best practices and strategies to break down barriers that prevent Black and Brown people from being healthy and living their best lives.
“This event is a unique opportunity for us to come together and share transformative work happening across the country to improve health equity for Black, Hispanic, and Latino communities,” said Thea James, MD, MPH, co-Executive Director of the Health Equity Accelerator and Vice President of Mission and Associate Chief Medical Officer at BMCHS. “As a national leader in health equity, and as a health system that is committed to deeply interrogating the root causes of health disparities, BMC Health System is working to break down barriers so all our communities can thrive. We will learn from each other’s experiences, as we explore actionable solutions to the persistent racial health gaps in our country.”
Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, will serve as the keynote speaker for the event. Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, has spent her career investigating racial inequity and injustice.
The Summit also features inspiring four-panel discussions and one fireside chat. Speakers will discuss cutting-edge solutions actively targeting racial inequities in crucial areas and share techniques to ensure sustainable, culturally sensitive, and effective care options across Black communities globally.
- The Myth that Made Us: Reimaging the Role of Essential Hospitals – with Thea James, MD, MBA, Co-Executive Director of the Health Equity Accelerator, Vice President of Mission, and Associate Chief Medical Officer, BMCHS; Andre Perry, PhD, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Community Uplift Brookings Institution; and Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, President and CEO, America’s Essential Hospitals
- Curing the Disparity: Achieving Equity in Drug Development and Distribution – with Cindy Bo, MBA, Chief Strategy Officer, BMCHS; Marsha Calloway-Campbell, JD, Vice President of Culture, Inclusion & Equity, Legacy Health Strategies; Jatin Dave, MD, Chief Medical Officer, MassHealth; and Fabio Petrocca, MD, Director, Cellular Therapy Program, BMC
- Beyond the Walls: How to Scale Equity Programs in the Community – with Elena Mendez-Escobar, PhD, Executive Director of Strategy and Co-Executive Director, Health Equity Accelerator, BMCHS; Stephanie Mitchell, Founder, Birth Sanctuary Gainesville; Joshua Pollard, Managing Partner and CEO, Omicelo; and Elsie Taveras, MD, MPH, Chief Community Health & Health Equity Officer, Mass General Brigham
- A Healthier Future: Building Wealth Through Workforce Development – with Petrina Martin Cherry, MBA, VP, Community Engagement and External Affairs, BMCHS; Lisa Kelly-Croswell, SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer, BMCHS; Robert Lewis Jr., Nicholas President & CEO Boys & Girls Club of Boston; and Fred Lowery, Executive Vice President and President, Laboratory Products and BioProduction Thermofisher
- Fireside Chat - From Survive to Thrive: Mental Health Care the Empowers Black People – moderated by David C. Henderson, MD, Chief of Psychiatry, BMC; with Annelle B. Primm, MD, MPH, Senior Medical Director, The Steve Fund
In 2021, BMC, a longtime leader in health equity and clinical innovation, launched the Health Equity Accelerator, which works to identify the root causes of healthcare inequities and address them by implementing action plans that facilitate change. The Accelerator focuses on five clinical areas where deep and persistent racial health disparities remain: pregnancy; cancer; infectious disease; chronic conditions; and behavioral health.
“This event allows us to partner and reach outside of our walls to build scalable, resilient models of equity programming that will improve the lives of Black and Hispanic communities across the country,” said Elena Mendez-Escobar, PhD, MBA, the co-Executive Director of the Health Equity Accelerator and Executive Director of Strategy at BMCHS. “Together, we can find actional solutions and understand underlying factors that drive health outcomes.”
For more details on the Summit visit www.bmc.org/eqty2024. For more information on BMC’s Health Equity Accelerator, visit its website.
About Boston Medical Center Health System
Boston Medical Center Health System provides world-class care to all, with an emphasis on health equity, clinical and research excellence, and the treatment of complex conditions through a value based, coordinated continuum of care.
BMC Health System includes Boston Medical Center, with one million patient visits annually; WellSense Health Plan, a Medicaid managed care organization with 740,000 members in Massachusetts and New Hampshire; Boston University Medical Group, with 800 physicians, non-physician clinicians, educators and researchers across 18 clinical departments at BMC; Boston HealthNet, a network of 12 affiliated community health centers; Boston Accountable Care Organization; Clearway Health, a pharmacy solutions company that helps third-party health systems build and expand specialty pharmacies; Brockton Behavioral Health Center, a dedicated 106-bed behavioral health center in Brockton, MA, serving patients with complex mental health and substance use disorder conditions; and a partnership with Oakwell, a sustainability management and real estate optimization firm that supports health systems in advancing energy efficiency and consumption reduction goals.