The Morehouse School of Medicine and its National Center for Primary Care propose the convening of the Fourth Annual Primary Care and Prevention Conference. This conference, attended by physicians and other healthcare professionals from the Southeast for the last three years, would provide a continuing education opportunity to a national audience of medical providers and researchers. It is projected that during the next five years, conference activities and inter-conference activities would reach more than 3,000 conference participants and another 200,000 individuals through conference dissemination activities. For the Fourth Annual Primary Care and Prevention, MSM/NCPC proposes conference programming addressing the theme: Improving the Health of Your Patient, Your Practice, and Your Community. The purpose of the conference and its activities is threefold: 1) to synthesize, summarize, and communicate research findings to a broad range of organizations and individuals who can make a difference in the health outcomes of their patients; 2) to develop national strategies for translating and disseminating research to public and private decision makers; and 3) to form collaborative partnerships that support local Initiatives and healthcare providers in reaching out to under-served communities. The proposed three-day meeting to take place during October 25 - 27, 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia, will provide evidence-based primary care clinical updates, the latest thinking in public health, and opportunities for practitioners to interact with a wide range of other participants from community, academic, and other backgrounds. This combination of focus and purpose has become the hallmark of this primary care and prevention meeting and, according to evaluation reports, is the element that will make it different and useful to the 600 expected participants. The meeting agenda will offer sessions focused on health disparities related to gender, race and ethnicity, income and education, disability, residing in rural areas, and sexual orientation. Programming will also cover many of the 28 HP2010 focus areas including: access to health services; cancer; kidney disease; diabetes; disability and secondary conditions; heart disease; HIV; immunizations and infectious disease; maternal, infant, and child health; mental health; nutrition and overweight; physical activity and fitness; public health infrastructure; substance abuse; and vision and hearing. ? ?
