Black Journalists Host Third Annual Media Institute on Health and Health Disparities

Black Journalists Host Third Annual Media Institute on 

Health and Health Disparities

Media Institute will examine the Impact of Healthcare Reform Policies on Communities of Color

WASHINGTON, DC (February 14, 2011) -- The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) will host its third annual Media Institute on Health, Health Policy, and Health Disparities. The Conference will be held March 24- 26, 2011, at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center at Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, D.C.

NABJ’s Media Institute on Health, Health Policy and Health Disparities is the only conference of its kind to focus exclusively on health disparities in communities of color and providing print, broadcast and digital journalists the tools to effectively report on the impact of health care reform and health policy on underserved communities. Journalists and media professionals will leave with resources to inform and empower readers and viewers to action in their lives.

"There has never been a more key time to cover the health scene, after the massive legislative changes that took place last year with our health system,” said NABJ President Kathy Y. Times. "Expert panelists from across the country will join us and weigh in on the long-term change that the overhaul of the health system will have for people of color in the United States. Given the steadily high unemployment rates, epidemic levels of chronic disease, and disproportionately high rates of premature death in communities of color, journalists must take a deeper look at the future of the health policies that impact our health and well-being.”

This annual Media Institute has garnered headlines and the attention of newsmakers in the fight to bring awareness to health care disparity. Previous keynote presenters at the conference have included; Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D., Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D., Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, and Phill Wilson, founder of the Black AIDS Institute.

"We work hard to bring our members and guests provocative health subjects and a diverse group of health experts each year. There is probably no place that journalists can come together with experts to have an open dialogue about health and the way health policies impact our communities,” said Andrea King Collier, longtime NABJ member and Conference chair.

Topics addressed at the Media Institute will include understanding and covering the social determinants of health, creative community solutions to health care access and prevention, updates to the Affordable Care Act, HIV/AIDS in the black community, mental health, childhood obesity, and understanding studies and data.

The convening is hosted by the NABJ Media Institute, which offers professional development opportunities, technical training, historical documentation, educational programs, workshops, entrepreneurial guidance as well as Web seminars, which consist of quality content and provide resources for students and journalists of colors.

Pre- registration rates for the conference are: $79 for NABJ Members and $129 for other participants, on or before March 10, 2011. For the full listing of workshops and registration, please visit our website here.

For program information, media, advertising and sponsorship inquiries regarding this Media Institute, contact NABJ Program Manager, Irving Washington at iwashington@nabj.org.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, and provides educational, career development and support to black journalists worldwide.