Sept. 24 walk focuses on need to eliminate health disparities

September 15, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Health Disparities Research and Intervention Program will hold its second annual Walk to Eliminate Health Disparities Sept. 24 on the UF campus.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. on the north side of the O’Connell Center. The walk will begin at 8 a.m. at the O’Connell Center and continue for three miles around the campus. The O’Connell Center parking lot will be available to participants for free parking. Everyone is invited to participate, including Gainesville community members, UF and Shands faculty, staff and students.

There is no entry fee, but registration is required. Participants will receive free food and prizes and will also have the opportunity to honor persons they know who have been or continue to be plagued by one of the major health disparities. T-shirts for the walk will be sold on site for $10 each.

To register in advance, contact the UF Health Disparities Research and Intervention Program at 352-273-9565 or UFHD@health.ufl.edu. When registering by telephone or email, please give full name, telephone number, and email address (if available). Participants may also register on site the morning of the event.

The University of Florida Health Disparities Research and Intervention Program opened in June 2010 with the aim of eliminating health disparities by fostering partnerships among patients, providers, community members, educators, administrators and researchers to promote health among medically underserved racial/ethnic minorities.

Health disparities are differences in physical and mental health status, health behaviors, health outcomes, disease burden, death rate from disease, health care quality and health care access in association with race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, ability-disability status and geographical location. These differences have the greatest negative impact on racial/ethnic minorities, women, the elderly, LBGT individuals, people with physical and/or mental disabilities, and individuals that live in rural areas or in inner cities. Psychology Professor Carolyn M. Tucker is the director of the program.