Stony Brook Southampton Hosts Second Suffolk County Minority Health Summit

STONY BROOK, N.Y., October 23, 2009 – The Center for Public Health and Health Policy Research (CPHHPR) at Stony Brook University and Literacy Suffolk Inc., in conjunction with the Suffolk County Minority Health Action Coalition (SMHAC), and community members/leaders, will gather on Saturday, November 21, 2009, at the Second Annual Suffolk County Minority Health Summit. The Summit will be held at Stony Brook Southampton from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and will include the entire coalition, representation from community based and health organizations, and faith-based institutions.

Members of the Suffolk County Minority Health Action Coalition (SMHAC) and representatives from community, health and faith-based institutions assembled during the first Suffolk County Minority Health Summit in 2008.

The Summit is an interactive forum on minority health that will engage the Suffolk County community, particularly communities on the eastern end of Long Island, where access to vital health care resources may be limited. Participants will be asked to contribute their expertise and recommendations to improve health outcomes in the region. The entire forum is open to all community members and organizations interested in improving health outcomes of Suffolk County residents, enhancing community knowledge of relevant health issues, including how to use research as a tool to better understand health disparities, and developing culturally appropriate interventions.

The Summit will also honor the efforts of the community members trained under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Trust Initiative Grant titled Community Alliance for Research Empowering Social change (CARES). CPHHPR and Literacy Suffolk are the only Partnership in Research grant awardees on Long Island. The two organizations work directly with communities throughout Suffolk County to develop effective strategies and interventions that address health disparities and health literacy.  

“No one understands a community or the challenges it faces better than those who live there,” says Melody S. Goodman, Ph.D., Principal Investigator of CARES and Director of CPHHPR at Stony Brook. “Therefore it is vital for researchers and communities to work together as partners to identify and address the underlying causes of health inequalities. SMHAC and CARES are shining examples of dedicated academic-community health partnerships in our region.”

Suffolk County residents who have identified significant health or social problems, such lack access to cancer screening, growing incidence of HIV/AIDS, or increased gang violence, participated in a 12-week training program as CARES Fellows. Collaborative projects that are developed between CARES Fellows and Stony Brook University researchers will soon explore culturally appropriate solutions to Suffolk County’s unique and complex health problems.

For more information about the Suffolk County Minority Health Summit and related programs, call 631-444-1625, or e-mail cphhpr@gmail.com.

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