The Medical Society Of Virginia Foundation
Addressing Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities
In March 2003, the Medical Society of Virginia Foundation hosted a series of continuing medical education programs entitled “Addressing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities” featuring internationally renowned expert on cross-cultural health care, Dr. Robert Like of the Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine. These powerful seminars presented information concerning the necessity for health care provider ability to communicate with and understand the needs of the increasingly diverse cultures represented in Virginia and across the country. Dr. Like provided information on how to recognize these special needs and identified techniques that providers can use to deliver culturally sensitive care.
Learn more
As a follow-up to these seminars, the MSV Foundation created a grant initiative to address the issues associated with racial and ethnic disparities in health care. These grant funds were awarded to members of the medical community to develop and manage projects that address the inequitable health disparities experienced by cultural minorities. Two projects were awarded $10,000 each to support creative care delivery and population-based initiatives.
Grantees
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Research and Education in Advancing Community Health (REACH)
Grant Award: $10,000
REACH is an initiative that facilitates the development and implementation of new strategies to enhance the training and education provided to medical residents. The project focuses on reducing cultural barriers to health care in minority and underserved communities, focusing specifically on minorities who suffer from diabetes, HIV/AIDS, or cardiovascular disease, as well as immunizing the elderly against influenza and pneumonia.
Kuumba Community Health & Wellness Center
A Culturally Competent Approach to Health Disparities
Grant Award: $10,000
This project has two components: 1) a cross-cultural training program for clinic staff; and 2) the provision of patient education services by physician assistant students attending nearby Jefferson College of Health Sciences. Clinic staff receive training on a variety of topics related to providing health care that is sensitive to differing cultures. A course on medical Spanish will also be offered.
The patient education program pairs physician assistant students with minority patients suffering from chronic illnesses. The students will work with the participating patients on a one-on-one basis to provide individualized treatment and education plans to aggressively treat patient illness(es).
