M. H. West & Co., Inc. associates Meaghan West and Erica Cage attended the Virginia Health Equity Conference on September 10th and 11th. The conference was held at The Cultural Arts Center At Glen Allen and organized by the Virginia Department of Health. The event served as a valuable forum to discuss practices to strengthen communities and address the root social, political and economic causes of inequities in health in Virginia. Among the many illustrious keynote speakers were; Howard Frumkin, Director, National Center for Environmental Health and Adewale Troutman, who was featured in the award-winning PBS series documentary, Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?
Meaghan was most impressed by the extent of information and research presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health institutions regarding Virginia’s lack of access to care for minority groups and low-income communities. Each speaker not only addressed the bad effects of health inquity, but also pointed out practices and policies which would strengthen communities from political, economical and even transportation perspectives. Their view of health was not limited to medical problems; it included several socio-economic factors such as stress, salary, transportation, and education as well.