Dinner discussion on racial, ethnic health disparities is Feb. 13

Dinner discussion on racial, ethnic health disparities is Feb. 13

A dinner discussion, "Room at the Table: Dialogue on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities," will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13. Ten dinners will be hosted simultaneously in faculty members' homes.

Providing an opportunity to share hope and understanding between students, faculty and community members of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, participants will discuss their perspectives on racial injustice and the need to eliminate health disparities based on race, culture, gender and ethnicity.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Minority Health:

  • Among adults ages 18 to 64, nearly half of Hispanics (49 percent) and more than one of four African Americans (28 percent) were uninsured during 2006, compared with 21 percent of Caucasians and 18 percent of Asian Americans (Beal et al, 2007).
  • African Americans are 21 percent more likely to die from all types of cancer than Caucasians, adjusting for age (NCHS, 2006a, Table 29).
  • Mexican-American and African-American mothers are more than 2.5 times as likely as non-Hispanic Caucasian mothers to begin prenatal care in the third trimester, or not receive any prenatal care (NCHS, 2006b, Table 7).
  • The prevalence of high blood pressure – a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and heart failure – is nearly 40 percent greater in African Americans than in Caucasians (an estimated 6.4 million African Americans have hypertension); and cardiovascular and renal disease damage are more frequent and severe (HHS, 2000a, G-2).

The Room at the Table discussion is supported by the LOFTUS Diversity Mini-Grant Fund through the UST Office of Institutional Diversity.

Registration deadline is Monday, Feb. 2. To register or for more information, contact Carey Winkler, School of Social Work, (651) 962-5815.