Louisiana Center For Health Equity To Host Women’s Wellness Retreat

PRLog (Press Release) - Apr. 9, 2012 - The Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE) is hosting a one-day retreat on Saturday, April 21st, 2012 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m at the Volunteers of America Center at 520 Olive Street. The Women’s Retreat 2012: Celebrating Wellness and Culture will offer educational seminars, health exhibitors, health screenings, and physical activities and will focus on providing vital health information to increase health awareness among women across the state. Breakout session topics include nutrition for women, physical activities like Zumba and aerobics, health screenings, HIV testing and other health resources will be available throughout the day. Participants should wear comfortable clothing and may take part in various activities designed especially for women such as maintaining, moving and nourishing the body. The event is free and open to all women.

We are very excited to be undertaking this project for the first time,” says Alma C. Stewart, President of LCHE. “We especially pleased to have two speakers from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services presenting and looking forward to a successful and enriching retreat in Shreveport. This initiative is so important because of the huge women’s health care disparities across the nation, and more specifically in Louisiana.”  

According to a recent report published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Louisiana ranked worse than average and 50th among the states for social determinants, including ranking 50th for women in poverty. Louisiana ranked second among the states with the highest neighborhood segregation. Furthermore, also among these social determinants, 42% of African-American women in Louisiana are the head of households with children as compared to 15.6% for Caucasian women and African-American women with no high school diploma at 24.8%, is more than twice that of Caucasian women at 9.7%.”

Session presenters and topics include Jauna Crear, Esquire (Health Law Advocates of Louisiana) who will present on "Bayou Health: The New Medicaid and LaChip"; Veronica D. Moore, Regional Outreach Specialist (Intergovernmental Affairs, Region VI, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) presenting on "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," and  the “Million Hearts Campaign,” presented by LCDR Angela Girgenti, RDH, MPH, CPH.( U. S. Public Health Service Office on Women's Health, Region VI, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)

LCHE is launching this initiative in collaboration with the Louisiana Legislative Women’s Caucus Foundation and in partnership with United Healthcare Community Plan. A series of women’s retreats will be hosted by Senator Sharon Weston Broome, President Pro Tempore, Louisiana State Senate along with LCHE. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, The Campaign for Tobacco Free Living, A. Charles Stewart Consultants and ExxonMobil are corporate sponsors.

LCHE works to address the increasing disparities in health and health care across Louisiana.  LCHE represents the interest of health equity by promoting the elimination of health disparities caused by poverty, lack of access to quality health care and unhealthy environmental conditions with a focus on community health and wellness. LCHE is a nonpartisan non-profit IRS tax exempt public charity 501 (c) (3) organization.  To learn more about LCHE, visit www.lahealthequity.org.

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