Former U.S. Surgeon Gen. Dr. David Satcher will be the keynote speaker at “Patterns of Transcultural Health Care,” a Maternal and Child Health Conference that will focus on delivering culturally and linguistically appropriate health care to diverse populations. Dr. Satcher will speak Thursday, Aug. 22 at 10:15 a.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Omaha.
“Dr. Satcher took a lead role in working to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health,” said Carol Williams with the Nebraska Health and Human Services System. “As U.S. Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Satcher led the effort to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. That initiative was incorporated as one of the two major goals of Healthy People 2010, the nation’s health agenda for the next 10 years.”
Disparities in Nebraska
Nebraska’s minority infant mortality rate is significantly higher than the white infant mortality rate. In 2000, African American babies died at three times the rate of their white counterparts. This is just one example of the health care disparities experienced by minorities in Nebraska.
“Nebraska’s high infant mortality rate among minorities makes this conference especially relevant,” Williams said. “With Nebraska’s increasingly diverse populations, health care providers are looking for information and tools that will enhance the cultural competence of their services. This conference is designed to provide exactly that.”
Conference presentations
The keynote speaker Aug. 23 will be Dr. William Mayfield, regional minority health coordinator for the U.S. Department of Public Health and Science in Kansas City, Mo. Dr. Mayfield will discuss the importance of collaboration between minority health and maternal and child health programs. Other conference presentations will include: the culture of poverty; locating resources for transcultural health care; language access in health care; cultural competence and SIDS; using data to understand health disparities; and cultural assessment and refugee resettlement.
Registration information
Anyone who provides health care to women, infants, children and their families is encouraged to attend the Aug. 22-23 conference at Embassy Suites in downtown Omaha. Registration for this two-day conference is $110, or $140 with CME/CEU credits. Call 1-800-801-1122, or 471-1855 in Lincoln, to register.