(Black PR Wire) Miami, FL - The Health Foundation of South Florida www.hfsf.org is thrilled to announce its third annual Black Health Summit, scheduled for June 4, 2024, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM. The Health Foundation’s goal is to ensure that all South Floridians have equal opportunity to health and well-being. This crucial Summit will take place at Florida Memorial University and aims to unite, inspire, and catalyze positive change in advancing health equity across South Florida. The Health Foundation’s themes are the Political Drivers of Health, Black Men’s Health & Access to Care. Experts from health systems, communities, public and private sectors will convene to discuss the political & policy environment and to build strategies & solutions for advancing Black health equity in South Florida.  

The Black Health Summit will feature dynamic presentations and discussions focused on addressing the critical issue of Black health equity in South Florida.

• The Summit will kick off with a presentation by Zinzi Bailey, ScD, MSPH, a Harvard-trained social epidemiologist with South Florida roots and faculty at University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Bailey will delve into the social drivers of health, non-medical social factors that have been attributed to up to 80% of health outcomes, from acute to chronic disorders. Addressing the social determinants advances health equity, where everyone has the opportunity to attain their highest levels of health.
• Daniel Dawes, JD, Senior vice president of Global Health and founding Dean of the School of Global Health at Meharry Medical College, renowned health policy expert and public health advocate, will deliver the keynote about his transformative insights on the political determinants of health, namely the structural and community-level forces that frame any individual’s health and well-being, resource distribution, and distributions of power.
• The morning panel discussion, moderated by Alexander Rundlet, JD, Partner, Rundlet Advisory, PLLC, will examine the complex web of policies and institutional practices that contribute to the root cause of health disparities, shedding light on Florida’s current state of health equity.
• Lunch conversation with Wizdom Powell, PhD, MPH, Chief Purpose Officer, Headspace, focused on collective healing for Black men, recognizing the psychosocial determinants of health.
• The afternoon will feature a panel discussion moderated by O’Neil J. Pyke, MD, MBA, SFHM, Chief Medical Officer at Jackson North Medical Center, exploring cultural barriers and organizational practices impacting access to care and Black men’s health. Additionally, panelists will identify strategies and tools to better engage with solutions that advance healthy equity.
• Additionally, there will be a one-on-one chat with Alonzo Mourning, Founder of the Overtown Youth Center, NBA Champion and Hall-of-Famer and Vice President of Player Programs and Development at the Miami Heat, and Nelson Adams III, MD, physician leader and Black Health Summit Co-Chair.
• The Summit will conclude with audience engagement and action planning for change, facilitated by Nelson Adams III, MD, Armen Henderson, MD, MBA, Founder of Dade County Street Response, and Germaine Smith-Baugh, EdD, President and CEO, Urban League of Broward County.

“The Health Foundation of South Florida is proud to bring such a formidable slate of thought leaders to our region for an essential discussion about Black Health Equity. And, we are grateful to our local experts and community-based leaders for joining this discussion and for their commitment to mapping solutions to drive progress,” says Health Foundation of South Florida President and CEO Loreen Chant. “Curated by our remarkable planning committee, the Summit aims to engage participants in co-creating a more equitable future.” 

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About Health Foundation of South Florida - The mission of the Health Foundation of South Florida is to invest in and be a catalyst for collaborations and policy and systems changes that improve the health of South Florida communities, focusing on vulnerable, low to moderate-income populations. The Health Foundation has been serving South Florida for over 30 years and has invested more than $145 million in nonprofits that provide programs and services in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. For more information, visit www.hfsf.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.