Health Policy Expert, Author to Discuss Political Determinants of Health Inequities

ST. JOSEPH, Mich., Oct. 19, 2021– Professionals in medicine, allied health fields, and social work, as well as government leaders and community members are invited to attend a free speaker event, “Political Determinants of Health Inequities.” The event will take place virtually from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, November 17 and feature keynote speaker, Daniel Dawes, JD. Dawes is an author, health policy expert, and executive director of Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

During the presentation, Dawes will explain how political decisions and public policy often create conditions that harm our nation’s health. He will also reveal how such decisions and policies have resulted in polluted water and air, insufficient and unreliable transportation, unsafe and declining neighborhoods, unhealthy foods, low incomes, and other conditions that create health inequities. Dawes also presents a framework for addressing systemic barriers that prevent the U.S. from becoming what it could be: the healthiest nation in the world.

“Now, more than ever, political decisions (on both sides of the aisle) are affecting our social conditions and are the root cause of our nation’s declining health,” said Lynn Todman, PhD, vice president health equity, Spectrum Health. “Our hope is that this presentation will help foster new ways of thinking and cause us to consider how we can partner, build capacity, and create the change required to address the health inequities that plague American society.”

Dawes is nationally recognized in health care law and policy and has led important efforts to address health inequities in the United States. Among his achievements, Dawes founded and chaired the largest advocacy group focused on developing comprehensive law to restructure the health care system and address inequities. He also helped shape the Affordable Care Act and authored two groundbreaking books, “Political Determinants of Health” and “150 years of Obamacare.” Dawes has also been featured on CNN Español, Fox News Latino, National Public Radio, and numerous other national news outlets.

This event is presented by Community Grand Rounds, a collaborative effort between Spectrum Health Lakeland and Berrien Community Foundation which was launched in 2018 to address the impact of racism on health and health equity. Preregistration is required by visiting spectrumhealthlakeland.org/cgr

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