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Christiana Care presents health disparities symposium

 

On Tuesday, Christiana Care Health System hosted a Symposium on eliminating healthcare disparities.

 

Two scientists - Dr. Lisa Cooper and Dr. Giselle Corbie-Smith - presented research on health inequalities.

 

Dr. Cooper shared findings on trying to lower high blood pressure in poor communities by delivering healthy foods to patients and empowering them to measure their own blood pressure. The symposium also focused on geographical barriers to health, like neighborhoods where it’s easier to locate a liquor store than a safe park for kids to play.

 

During the symposium’s panel, one African American doctor - LaRoi Hicks - said he had found it easier to buy a gun than a tomato in his neighborhood during the first half of his life.

 

"The fact that one can obtain a weapon as opposed to a vegetable, more easily, is an inappropriate reality," said Eric Jackson, Jr., who helped organize the symposium.

Jackson says that there are several environmental factors, like access to healthy food and safe parks, that make a huge difference in people’s likelihood of developing diseases.

"You will eat fast food if 70% of the restaurants in your neighborhood only provide fast food, you will eat less fruits and vegetables if you reside in a food desert," he said.