Public Health Standouts to be Honored for Contributions to Community
October 03, 2005
Contact: Todd Harper
Phone: 317-630-7808
Pager: 317-310-5972
Indianapolis, October 3, 2005 - A life-long public health leader who has dedicated his life to providing medical care to those less fortunate, a nursing association dedicated to improving healthcare for all minorities and an advocacy organization that addresses public health issues affecting vulnerable populations will be honored at this year's Public Health Awards Program and Dinner.
The awards dinner will be held Wednesday, October 5, with funds raised from the event benefiting the George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund Endowment.
During this year's Public Health Awards Program and Dinner, three public health leaders will be recognized for their contributions to improving healthcare to those most in need. The award recipients include the Black Nurses Association of Indianapolis, Eta Chi Chapter, Inc., Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc. and Dr. Joseph Mamlin, professor emeritus of medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine.
The sixth annual event will be held at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, bringing community members together to celebrate the contributions of those who have made a difference in the public health community. Proceeds from the event will help provide full tuition scholarships to the IU School of Medicine for underrepresented minority students from Indiana who aspire to become physicians.
"The Rawls Scholarship program gives us the ability to keep our best minds and brightest students in Indiana. The Rawls Scholars will be our community's future leaders in medicine and will help to increase geometrically the number of minority physicians in our community," said Matthew R. Gutwein, president and chief executive officer of the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County. "The Public Health Awards Program and Dinner offers an excellent opportunity to recognize the contributions of our public health leaders, and also is key to expanding on the Rawls Scholarship initiative."
In Indiana, less than four percent of physicians are African American and less than three percent are Hispanic. At Wishard Health Services, for example, more than 46 percent of the patients cared for are African American and at several of Wishard's community health centers, more than 30 percent of patients are Hispanic.
Research consistently demonstrates patients treated by a physician of similar culture and ethnicity have better clinical outcomes and greater satisfaction.
The George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund Endowment was established in 2000 by the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County and awarded its first tuition grant that same year.
In 2005-2006, 10 Rawls Scholars attended the IU School of Medicine. Rawls Scholars express strong social concern and most, upon completing their medical training, plan to serve their community as primary care physicians.
"The Rawls Scholarship was extremely important to me personally and helped relieve the financial hurdles that stood in my way as I advanced through medical school," said Dr. Robert Patterson, a 2005 Rawls Scholar and graduate of the IU School of Medicine. "The scholarship is such a key tool in helping to eliminate the disparities that exist in healthcare for minorities."
Public Health Trailblazer Award
Dr. Joseph Mamlin, will be presented with the 2005 Public Health Trailblazer Award. Dr. Mamlin's contributions to vulnerable populations throughout his distinguished career at Wishard and the IU School of Medicine not only stretch across Indiana, but also throughout the world. Since retiring in 2000, after a career as chief of the division of general internal medicine and chief of medicine at Wishard Memorial Hospital, Dr. Mamlin has continued his commitment to serving those less fortunate by being a key player in the IU School of Medicine's Kenya Program, which works to promote the values of the medical profession and foster leaders in health for both the United States and Kenya through medical education, research and service.
Public Health Shining Star Award
The Black Nurses Association of Indianapolis (BNA) will be presented with the 2005 Public Health Shining Star Award. The BNA is a voluntary professional nursing organization dedicated to improving the health of African American and other ethnic populations. The association works with other individuals and organizations in providing health information and screening services in minority communities, increasing ethnic diversity in the nursing workforce, advocating for public policies that eliminate health disparities and promoting life-long learning of nurses for maintaining professional competency and experience.
Eta Chi Chapter, Inc., Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc., also will be recognized with the 2005 Public Health Shining Award. Chi Eta Phi is an organization of registered nurses and nursing students. Guided by the motto "service of humanity," the organization is a dynamic force within communities throughout the United States, Virgin Island of St. Thomas and Liberia, West Africa. Members work to address issues relating to programs focusing on health promotion and disease prevention, recruitment and retention, education scholarships, programs for boys and girls, programs for the elderly and leadership development. The local chapter consistently has engaged in activities in the Indianapolis community to address public health issues affecting vulnerable populations.
The Wishard Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving Wishard Health Services, the Marion County Health Department and Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, manages the George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund. The Foundation recognizes that effort to train more minority physicians can have a profoundly positive impact on the healthcare of minority patients.
For more information on how to make a contribution to the George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund, please call (317) 630-6451 or visit www.WishardFoundation.org.