Girlfriends Health Guide for Women of Color® and its Girlfriends Network presents the 1^st Annual “It’s All About You” Women of Color Health Disparities Conference on February 27, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Milwaukee. This is the first leg of a four-city tour including Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta in 2010.

“It’s All About You” Health Conference will address key disparities and health related issues that women of color face everyday.  Healthcare disparity is the gap that exists in access and quality of standard care for minority groups. There is no single, simple answer. Racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive lower-quality health care than whites do even when insurance status, income, age and severity of conditions are comparable, says a 2002 report of the Institute of Medicine. In the State of Wisconsin the gap is even greater in some areas according to the most recent Minority Health Report issued January 2008. Cited causes of health disparities are numerous and include: lack of insurance, access to healthcare, poverty, education levels cultural difference, language barriers, access to transportation, racism, environmental risks and differences in individual community support.

This Women of Color Health Disparities Conference will provide a forum for influential stakeholders in healthcare and community healthcare leaders to share ideas and move towards solutions to affect change regarding racial and ethnic health disparities in African American, Asian Americans, Hispanics/Latinos and Native Americans. Girlfriends Health Guide meets this issue head on with its Health Guide Magazine, Social Networking Community and its Girlfriends Network. “We are totally committed to helping women identify earlier detection, more accurate diagnoses, and personalized treatment for women affected by cancer, heart disease, stroke and other conditions.

To assure a successful and exciting event, Girlfriends Health Guide has secured national talent such as Hollywood Actress Vivica Fox as our keynote luncheon speaker. This South Bend Indiana born actress started her acting career on soap operas such as Generations, Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless. She has had roles in many other movies ever since such as: Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Two Can Play That Game, and Kill Bill. Vivica also took another television role from 2004 to 2006 as she starred in the drama series, Missing on the Lifetime Television Network. In 2007, she was a contender in Dancing with the Stars and stayed until she was voted off in the fourth week.

The celebrity line-up also includes Gospel Recording Actress Shirley Murdock, Kellita Smith of the Bernie Mac Show and Former talk show host Mother Love as our special guest and presenters. 

Conference Registration will start at 7:00am – 8:30am, opening remarks and breakfast will start 7:30am. The general session will start at 8:45am with disparities workshops and presentations until 11:45am. Lunch will include a keynote speaker Vivica Fox sponsored by United Healthcare and Wisconsin Well Woman. Immediately after lunch join Shirley Murdock and friends while they talk with their girlfriends- “Girlfriend-2-Girlfriend” Talk Series and you can “Work it Out” with national fitness expert Body Allegra.

Finally, Girlfriends Network’s signature event “GNO” Girlfriends Night Out will round out the day at 6pm with its “GO RED” reception sponsored by the American Heart Association and CHANEL. Every women will be ask to dress in red supporting “Heart Month” in February.

Our proud title sponsors include: United Healthcare, Wisconsin Well Woman, YMCA of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Health Services. Other key local industry sponsors and presenters include; Alzheimer’s Institute, Cream City Medical, Black Health Coalition, American Heart, American Cancer, American Lung Association, City of Milwaukee Health Department. Sojourner Truth House, UWM School of Nursing, Wisconsin Medical Society, Wisconsin Department of Regulatory & Licensing, Vitas Hospice Care, Barbicide, M&I Bank and Pfizer

Our major national partners are the Department of Health and Human Services: Administration of Children and Families, Center for Disease Control, Office on Women Health, Office on Minority Health, American Cancer, American Heart Association, United Healthcare, National Black Nurses Association, National Minority Aids Council and American Medical Association. 

About Girlfriends Health Guide for Women of Color®

Girlfriends Health Guide for Women of Color mission is to uplift, promote and inform women of color about health-related disparities affecting underserved and underrepresented ethnic women. The magazine publishes 250,000 issues quarterly in three markets – Milwaukee, Chicago and Atlanta – and plans to expand into other cities in 2010. In three short years starting January 2007, The Girlfriends Network currently has nearly 20,000 girlfriend members nation-wide and growing. Employing a highly effective viral communications model, Girlfriends Health® also has an extensive online presence on Facebook and Twitter as well as a dedicated channel on YouTube that educates women about the holistic circles of life: mind, body, and soul.