Washington, D.C. -- Members of the Advisory Board to the President's Initiative on Race will be joined by Dr. David Satcher, U.S. Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a town hall meeting to discuss the impact race has on access to quality health care. The meeting will convene on Friday, July 10, 1998, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts.

"Health Care Rx: Access for All," is the topic for the meeting which will include two panels with health care experts, community leaders and health care consumers. Among the issues to be addressed are: barriers to obtaining quality health care; workforce diversity; and cultural competency for racial and ethnic minorities. Panelists will also identify solutions to improve the health care infrastructure, to remove obstacles to proper health care and to reduce health care disparities for people of color. The agenda includes:

Welcoming remarks by:

President William Clinton (pre-taped video)
The Honorable Thomas Menino, Boston Mayor
Dennis Hayashi, Counselor to the Deputy Secretary, HHS
John Hope Franklin, Advisory Board Chairman to The President's Initiative on Race

Opening remarks by:

Dr. David Satcher, U.S. Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health (HHS)

Introduction of panelists and moderators by:

Claude Earl Fox, III, Administrator, Health Resources & Services Administration, Rockville, MD

A panel discussion from the consumers perspective with:

Moderator, Hortensia Amaro, Ph.D, Boston University School of Public Health
Wilson Augustave, National Advisory Council on Migrant Health, Rushville, NY
Marianela Garcia, Worcester Housing Authority Economic Development & Supportive Services
Craig Cobb, Dimock Community Health Center, Roxbury, MA

A question and answer session with The President's Initiative on Race Advisory Board and panelists

A question and answer session with the audience

A panel discussion of best practices with:

Moderator, Dr. Joan Reede, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Elmer Freeman, Center for Community Health Education, Research & Services, Boston, MA
Zoila Torres Feldman, Great Brook Valley Health Center, Worcester, MA
Barbara Namias, Northern American Indian, Center of Boston, Inc.
Peggy Leong, South Cove Community Health Center, Boston, MA
Vanna Lee, Family Health and Social Service Center, Worcester, MA

At this meeting, the President's Initiative on Race will be represented by Advisory Board Chairman John Hope Franklin, Advisory Board members Former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean and Former Mississippi Governor William F. Winter, Race Initiative Executive Director Judith A. Winston, and Advisory Board Consultant Laura Harris. Advisory Board members will use this meeting as an opportunity to make recommendations to President Clinton on health care issues.

WHAT: Town Hall Meeting on Race and Health Care Access

WHO: The President's Initiative on Race, the Department of Health and Human Services, health care experts, community leaders and health care consumers

WHEN: Friday, July 10, 1998,
9:30 a.m. to 12 :45 p.m.

WHERE: Faneuil Hall at Marketplace, 617-635-3489
Boston, Massachusetts

COVERAGE: Open to media; press availability at the conclusion of the meeting.

The President's Initiative on Race is a year-long effort to create a stronger, more united American community. For additional information, write: The President's Initiative on Race at: New Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20503, or visit the One America Web site: www.whitehouse.gov/Initiatives/OneAmerica.