Black Leadership Health Network holds summit in Windsor

25 November 2011 No Comments

By Samuel Getachew

In light of alarming statistics on the vital issues of health in the black community, a Black Leadership Health Network (BLHN) was born earlier this year. In a two-day event that starts today, the group will hold its second such gathering with an ambitious agenda in Windsor. According to the head of the BLHN, Dr. Christopher Morgan,” the hope is to be able to combat serious health risks facing people of African descent.”

Within Ontario, the statistics are alarming. According to the group, “in Ontario, Blacks are three times more likely than Whites to develop high blood pressure; Black women have a higher prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease than their male counterparts; strokes occur at an earlier age among Blacks compared to other ethnic groups and nearly 11.1 per cent of Blacks report having two or more major risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”

At an earlier gathering of health professionals, community activists, public officials and activists in Toronto, the idea of a province wide group was conceived. According to Richard Phillips of the Windsor & District Black Coalition, “the group is trying to address the issue of Black health from the leadership perspective in the community.” Dr. Morgan adds, “Our community has been suffering disproportionately in the areas of mental health, diabetes, chronic diseases and depression. Over the years, we have not seen the changes needed to alleviate the health concerns our community faces.”

With the endorsement and support of such leading public institutions as the Heart & Stroke Foundation and different levels of government institutions, BLHN will hold a much anticipated conference in Ottawa in May 2012, which will be the network’s 3rd such gathering. Among the discussions will be how to influence governments to improve health outcomes of blacks, health, social services utilization, and practices affecting black health.

Among the roster of speakers will be Nadine Manroe, program manager of Alzheimer’s Society of Windsor Essex, Dr. Jean Augustine, Ontario Fairness Commissioner and Wangari Muriuki, an award winning community builder from Toronto.

The idea, according to the alliance is “to bring the different stakeholders from across the province to communicate, co-operate and collaborate and come up with a strategy whereby we can identify what are some of the health priorities in the community.”