CHICAGO, IL — NextLevel Health Partners, Inc., a Medicaid managed care company, Morehouse School of Medicine and the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation announced the Advancing Men’s Health Through Primary Care Conference, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Ian Smith, the best-selling author, television personality and physician.
Being held March 1st at Kennedy King College in Chicago, the conference will examine men’s healthcare after Medicaid expansion and provide a platform to discuss how critical improvements to men’s health outcomes can be made. The conference will connect health professionals from across the country and will culminate in creating a plan of action for addressing the determinants that affect men’s primary health.
“We are very excited to partner with the Morehouse School of Medicine, The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation and Dr. Ian Smith to bring light to the importance of preventive and primary healthcare for men, especially those in underserved communities,” says Dr. Cheryl Whitaker, CEO of NextLevel Health. “The Advancing Men’s Health Through Primary Care Conference presents an unprecedented opportunity for healthcare professionals from across the country to collaborate and create sustainable models for primary care for men covered under Medicaid.”
“We are thrilled to be the lead academic partner for such an important conference highlighting the obstacles many men face in receiving quality preventative and primary care,” says Dr. Dominic Mack at Morehouse School of Medicine. “We are eager to collaborate with NextLevel Health to support a critical national dialogue around how we can create systems that improve the quality and accessibility of men’s primary care.”
“Examining the economic, social, physical and mental health of African American men is critical to understanding how to rebuild our communities,” says Paul Williams, Chairman of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation. “We are ready for the discussion and follow-up action.”
The Advancing Men’s Health Through Primary Care Conference will convene advocates, experts and key decision makers focused on improving primary care under Medicaid, expanding strategies for community engagement and collaboration, achieving better care through access and prevention, and introducing best practices and shared innovative models for quality improvement.
For more information about the conference, visit www.Partners4mensHealth.com.
NextLevel Health is a managed care health plan for Cook County residents with Medicaid and for Cook County residents in the Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) program (Medicare and Medicaid). NextLevel Health Partners, Inc. assists in managing and coordinating your care with a deeper understanding of you, your community, and your health, one-on-one, right in your own community. NextLevel Health Partners best serves their community by increasing access to health care, building strong partnerships in the neighborhoods they serve and by understanding important local issues.
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), located in Atlanta, Ga., was founded in 1975 as the Medical Education Program at Morehouse College. In 1981, MSM became an independently chartered institution. MSM is among the nation’s leading educators of primary care physicians and was recently recognized as the top institution among U.S. medical schools for our social mission. Our faculty and alumni are noted in their fields for excellence in teaching, research and public policy. MSM is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Council on Education for Public Health, Liaison Committee on Medical Education and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Since its inception in 2005, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation has been dedicated to protecting, developing and advancing black communities in Illinois. The Foundation’s purpose is to be the link between the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, and black and urban communities throughout the state. The Foundation’s role is to promote and maintain a reciprocal relationship between the Caucus and its constituencies, in a way that allows for the Caucus to develop policies that address the disparities, concerns and needs of black communities across Illinois.