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NUHEALTH’S INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH EQUITY PRESENTS THIRD ANNUAL NATIONAL BEST PRACTICES CONFERENCE ON APRIL 20, 2011 AT NUMC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2011

PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055

NUHEALTH’S INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH EQUITY PRESENTS THIRD ANNUAL NATIONAL BEST PRACTICES CONFERENCE ON APRIL 20, 2011 AT NUMC

East Meadow, NY……NuHealth’s Institute for Health Equity, in partnership with the Nassau County Department of Health, Nassau County Department of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Developmental Disabilities Services, Long Island Families Together Inc., and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at NUMC, is holding its Third Annual Best Practices Conferences “Educating, Empowering and Strengthening Innovative Mental Health Solutions” including panel discussions, at Nassau University Medical Center, on April 20, 2011.

“This year’s conference will focus on behavioral health. We will review innovative ways of expanding access, the need to integrate behavioral health with primary care, the concept of public psychiatry, and the impact of culture on behavioral health,” explained Aloysius B. Cuyjet, MD, MPH, FACC, FACP, senior vice president and chief health equity officer as well as chair of the Institute for Health Equity.

“As the host of this national conference, the NuHealth System is pleased to be a key player, along with,   the Nassau County Department of Health, Nassau County Department of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Developmental Disabilities Services, Long Island Families Together Inc., and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at NUMC, in leading the health care equity dialogue, and in addressing issues dealing with mental health services to vulnerable communities,” Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System stated. “As Nassau’s safety net health care system, we are committed to create sustainable change and health care equity in the vulnerable communities that we serve,” Gianelli added.

The conference will feature national and local speakers. The keynote address will be given by Kenneth Minkoff, MD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Workshop A, “Mental Health: A Family Affair”, will be moderated by Aloysius B. Cuyjet, MD, MPH, FACC, FACP, senior vice president and chief health equity officer as well as chair of the Institute for Health Equity. Workshop B, “Community Psychiatry: New Approaches to Mental Health”, will be moderated by Jules Ranz, MD, director, public psychiatry fellowship NYS Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center  and will include the following guest speakers; Nyapati Rao, MD, chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at NUMC, Constantine Ioannou, MD, vice chairman clinical affairs for the department of psychiatry at NUMC and Rajvee Vora, MD, clinical services director AMHS department of psychiatry at NUMC.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
“This year’s conference seeks to address issues in the provision of mental health services to vulnerable communities. We are aware of the greater importance of cultural sensitivity and appropriateness in addressing these needs. The issues are not only of access and availability but of the nature and perception of cultural community needs,” stated Carlos Alvarez, Executive Director for the Institute.
Registration is required. For additional information on the conference, please visit www.numc.edu or call Karen Banks at 516-546-4219 or email at kbanks@numc.edu.

ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life.  Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community.  By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.

For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.