NABJ convenes first day of annual Media Institute on Health conference

Today, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convened the first day of its annual Media Institute on Health: Health Policy and Health Inequities, March 29-31, at the Kaiser Family Foundation's Barbara Jordan Conference Center.    

The conference aims to provide journalists with tools to effectively report on the impact of health care policies and reform as they affect communities of color. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is scheduled to speak on Friday, March 30, at a special briefing on health at the White House, exclusively for NABJ Media Institute Conference attendees.

Since taking office as the 21st Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Sebelius has been the leading advocate for some of President Obama's top priorities. As the country's highest-ranking health official, she has been a key proponent for reforming our health insurance system. At the conference, Sebelius will speak on: the Affordable Care Act, the lack of access to proper care in many communities; prevention and wellness; and the need for quality healthcare for all Americans.

Additional panelists at the special White House Briefing on Health will include: Dr. Regina Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General; Nadine Garcia, HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health; Jocelyn Frye, Policy Director for First Lady Michelle Obama; Dr. Cara James, Director of the Office of Minority Health, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of National AIDS Policy. For our full conference schedule and all panelists, please visit our website here.

"It is a honor to have Secretary Sebelius serve as our keynote speaker again," said NABJ Parliamentarian and Conference Chair Cindy George. "On the heels of the Affordable Care Act Supreme Court hearing, this is a perfect time for our attendees to have the opportunity to talk with Secretary Sebelius. Our goal is to give journalists access to thought leaders health in order to help them shape better stories on these important issues."

Topics addressed at the conference include covering and understanding the social determinants of health, creative community solutions to healthcare access and prevention, updates on HIV/AIDS in the black community, breastfeeding, and understanding studies and data.