Horizon Foundation for NJ Grants $20,000 to Support American Conference on Diversity Health Programs

Jan. 18, 2013 - PRLog -- New Brunswick, NJ —The American Conference on Diversity is honored to receive a grant of $20,000 from longtime supporter, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, to present two signature healthcare professional-development programs aimed at closing the disparities gap among the state’s increasingly diverse patient population.

“The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey supports New Jersey non-profit organizations that improve the quality of life in our state,” says Robert A. Marino, Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey and Chairman and CEO of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. “The approved grant will help equip healthcare professionals with tools to break down language barriers that hinder health literacy among culturally-diverse populations.”

Indeed, New Jersey’s rich diversity is reflected in the more than 130 different languages spoken by state residents, with more than 26 percent speaking a language other than English. This diversity is also reflected in the patient population cared for by the state’s healthcare systems. The multiplicity of languages, cultures, faiths, and healthcare practices can be overwhelming to healthcare professionals and the settings in which they practice.

“That’s why the American Conference on Diversity continues year after year to present our professional-development programs for professionals in the healthcare sector,” says President and CEO Elizabeth Williams-Riley.

The programs include:

►Health Equity Conference: Improving the Quality & Safety of Care for Diverse Patient Populations, which explores the relationship between health literacy and health equity and what health professionals can do to foster more health literate organizations. This one-day cultural-competency event for healthcare professionals and health-system administrators will be held Friday, November 1.

►Healthcare Cultural Competency Train the Trainer is another one-day program that will be held Friday, October 18. It is designed for healthcare professionals with the responsibility for staff education. Train the Trainer is a continuing nursing education activity approved for 6.25 contact hours by the New Jersey State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Centers COA.

Both programs will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the NJHA Conference Center, 760 Alexander Rd., Princeton, N.J.

“This is just one facet of what the American Conference on Diversity does,” says Williams-Riley. “As we begin to celebrate our 65th anniversary in New Jersey, we’re working hard to address issues of equality and social justice across all industries and for all people.”

About the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey

The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, the philanthropic arm of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, has made more than 820 grants to local nonprofit organizations totaling nearly $30 million since its inception in 2004. The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey promotes health, well-being, and quality of life across the state by supporting charitable organizations. Priority areas include health and the arts. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.horizonblue.com/foundation.

About the American Conference on Diversity

The programs, services, and initiatives of the American Conference on Diversity are among the most important work focused on creating a more inclusive society. It is the unfinished business of living in a highly diverse nation: educating and empowering our next generation of leaders; enhancing our workplaces; and helping to create inclusive communities. The American Conference on Diversity, which has been serving schools, organizations, workplaces, and communities in New Jersey since 1948, builds on a historic mission and creates programs and activities relevant and vital to 21st Century life. It is a journey we can all take together. The American Conference on Diversity operates eight chapters to help us to educate and empower leaders and bring our messages of inclusion and respect to communities throughout New Jersey: Atlantic County Chapter, Bayonne Chapter, Central Jersey Chapter, Essex County Chapter, Greater Bergen Chapter, Hudson County Chapter, Jersey Shore Chapter, and Mercer County Chapter. Visit www.AmericanConferenceonDiversity.org to learn more.

Contact:

Gail Zoppo
Media Relations Consultant
109 Church Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
gail@AmericanConferenceonDiversity.org
732-745-9330 x35