First Lady Tammy Murphy and Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal will join state and local partners in Atlantic City on April 4 for a Health Equity forum as part of National Minority Health Month.

April is National Minority Health Month and this year’s theme is “Active & Healthy.” As part of the month-long observance, at the Department of Health’s Office of Minority and Multicultural Health (OMMH) will hold the first of two forums at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

At the April 4 forum, First Lady Murphy will talk about the state’s Nurture NJ campaign to improve maternal and infant health for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity or background.  

“Nurture NJ is committed to ensuring equitable access to maternal and infant care for women and children of all races and ethnicities,” First Lady Murphy said. “As New Jersey has one of the highest disparities for black maternal and infant health outcomes, I urge our partners across the state to use these forums as an opportunity to examine how we can better deliver care to our diverse population.”

The forums will focus on ways to close racial health gaps and address social determinants of health by promoting a lifestyle of wellness and encouraging disease prevention.

“New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the nation with more than 25 percent of our residents foreign born,’’ Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal said. “With this great diversity come unique health challenges. This month is the perfect time for us to work with our partners to address our multicultural populations who are disproportionately affected by issues like maternal and infant mortality, cancer and HIV.”

Registration and agenda for the April 4 forum can be found here https://www.nj.gov/health/ommh/documents/C2684--OMMH%20Health%20Equity%20Forum%20agenda-no%20crop%20marks%20(003).finalpdf.pdf The second forum will be held on April 18 at Montclair State University, with speakers featuring Commissioner Elnahal, Deputy Commissioner Marcela Maziarz, Assistant Commissioner Nashon Hornsby, OMMH Executive Director Amanda Medina-Forrester and many more.

April 4 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Atlantic City Convention Center, 3rd Floor, Room 311

1 Convention Blvd.

Atlantic City, NJ

April 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Montclair State University

Memorial Auditorium 1 Normal Ave.

Montclair, NJ 07043

A complete list of Minority Health Month events is available on the Department’s website at http://web.doh.nj.gov/apps2/omh/calendar.aspx.

To kick off Minority Health Month, Commissioner Elnahal spoke at the New Jersey Hospital Association’s “Patients, Prejudice and Policy” talk on April 2 about improving health equity and eliminating racial disparities.

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