April 8, 2005

State House holds public hearing about disparities

Peter L. Slavin, MD, president of the MGH, (below), was first to participate in a day of public testimony before the Commission to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Health Care Disparities April 4 at the State House. Slavin was invited to testify by the commission because of the leadership role the MGH has played in addressing disparities. Clinicians, health care officials and public health advocates also addressed the commission.

The commission, co-chaired by Sen. Diane Wilkerson and Rep. Peter Koutoujian, was established by the legislature to investigate health disparities in the Commonwealth and to develop legislative and policy initiatives to address them. Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH, of the MGH Institute for Health Policy and a nationally recognized expert on disparities, also is a member of the commission.