The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at the University of New Mexico will be hosting a health policy summit on September 6th and 7th at the UNM campus in Albuquerque. Eight current members of the United States Congress are slated to participate in the event, entitled Policies and Practices that Promote Health Justice. The conference will focus on health disparities across racial and ethnic groups, and feature leading national experts in health care politics and policy, including Dr. Matt Barreto and Dr. Gabriel Sanchez of Latino Decisions.
The entire event will be available online via livestream this link starting at 8:30a MT on Friday September, 6th.
Some of the featured panel summaries are listed below:
Panel 1: Access to Care
Expert panelists will discuss what we know about understandings of the Affordable Care Act in communities of color across the nation and how we best ensure that all communities are able to utilize the law and access health services effectively.
Panel 2: Women’s Health and the Intersection of Gender, Race & Class
Local and national experts will discuss the best approaches to improve access to care and the health status of women, with an emphasis on women of color.
Panel 3: American Indian Health
The Health and Human Services Department convenes a Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC). Members of the STAC will discuss the unique government‐to‐government relationship that Tribes have with the United States and how the STAC is working with the Health and Human Services Department to address American Indian health disparities. This session will provide an opportunity to better understand Native American perspectives on health, health care, and the Affordable Care Act.
Panel 4: Health Care for Immigrant Families: Policy Challenges and Opportunities
A panel of leading experts will present an overview of the status of access to health care for immigrant children and families and discuss the program and policy options of immigration and health reforms at the local, state, and federal levels.
Panel 5: Mental Health
This panel will address how we improve behavioral health for members of communities of color, including considerations for improving access to behavioral health services for all. This panel will include experts on children’s mental health and the role of public policy in supporting healthy child development in communities of color.
Panel 6: Health Professional Workforce
Local and national experts will discuss the current landscape of health professionals and how it can be improved to better meet the demand for services, be more responsive to all who receive services, and support improved health equity.
