Former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, recently met with 20 colleges, organizations and health agencies at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) to establish an alliance to increase the number of minorities entering the health professions in North Carolina.
Senior representatives from colleges and organizations supporting the alliance signed the memorandum of understanding following an address by Sullivan last Friday. Associate Dean for Research Dr. Gary McCullough represented the Beaver College of Health Sciences and Appalachian State University.
The event marked the foundation of the North Carolina Alliance for Health Professionals Diversity.
“To give North Carolinians greater access to care and better health outcomes, we need more health professionals who are culturally-competent, racially- and ethnically-diverse, and who will embrace the interprofessional training needed to thrive in today’s healthcare environment. Enhancing community access to healthcare will give us a stronger nation overall,” said Sullivan.
Other colleges, universities, and organizations participating included WSSU, Bennett College for Women, East Carolina University, Western Carolina University, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Forsyth County Department of Public Health, and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Sullivan Alliance to Transform the Health Professions, Inc. was organized in January 2005 to act on the reports and recommendations of the Sullivan Commission and the Institute of Medicine Committee on Institutional and Policy-Level Strategies for Increasing Diversity of the U.S. Healthcare Workforce. For more information about the Alliance, visit www.thesullivanalliance.org.
Pictured: Associate Dean for Research Dr. Gary McCullough shaking hands with Dr. Louis Sullivan during the event.
College joins alliance to increase minorities entering the health professions in North Carolina
