USC Provost’s Retreat on Health

Institutional and Community

Responses to Health Disparities

LaVonna Blair Lewis, PhD, MPH

llewis@usc.edu

213.740.4280

I. One Institutional Response to

Health Disparities:

MHA Diversity in Healthcare Leadership Initiative

II. One Community Response to Health Disparities:

African American Building a Legacy of Health Project (AABLH)

I. MHA Diversity in Healthcare Leadership

InitiativeThree core goals:

1. Increase awareness of health administration, policy and management as a viable career choice through networking and outreach

2. Summer/Winter Enrichment Programs integrating academic and professional elements

3. Ongoing mentoring and graduate school application support

Five or more of each year’s participants successfully apply to a

master of health administration degree program.

To date, 12 out of 37 participants have already started Masters Programs

Overall Goal:

II. AABLH: Developing The Community

Action Plan (CAP) 1999-2000• Participants included state and local

government agencies, civil rights organizations, religious organizations, health care providers, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, and community members

• All wanted to increase awareness among African Americans about health related issues—CVD and diabetes

• All willing to commit staff, time, and other resources to the project

Three Strategic Directions• Recreating Community Norms Through Community Education (5 Interventions)

• Creating Economic Parity Through Community Development (3 Interventions)

• Supporting Policy and Institutional Change Through Community Empowerment (1 Intervention)

•Researchers Bring: Bench knowledge

•Communities Bring: Trench knowledge

We need both to effectively address health disparities