Gift Of Life Marrow Registry And NAACP Join Together To Reduce Healthcare Disparities

BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic and recent racial turmoil have brought to the national forefront systemic racial and social inequities that create heath disparities that devastate families and communities of color throughout the U.S. In response to this public health crisis, Gift of Life Marrow Registry, an organization dedicated to equal outcomes of health for everyone, has joined together with the NAACP and its Youth and College Division to host a series of virtual town halls, "Education In Action: Addressing Healthcare Disparities in Our Communities," aimed at equipping and empowering student-led communities to effect change.

The first event, to be held on September 30, 2020, at 2:00 PM ET, will be an hour-long conversation moderated by Danielle Belton, Editor-In-Chief of The Root, and include remarks from transplant survivor Jay Feinberg, (Gift of Life Marrow Registry CEO and Founder), Dr. Joy Harden Bradford (Therapy for Black Girls), Kelli Tice Wells, MD (Florida Blue) and Victoria Baptiste (Henrietta Lacks Family Spokesperson). To register and join this conversation, visit www.giftoflife.org/virtualtownhall.

"Disparities in healthcare outcomes extend far beyond our mission to find a cure for those suffering from nearly 100 diseases, including blood cancer, immune disorders and sickle cell, yet intertwine with our goals at the same time," said Feinberg.  "As an organization founded to solve one health inequity, lack of diversity in the worldwide registry, Gift of Life is taking action to address the larger issue that the pandemic has further exposed. 

A key area of focus for the town hall initiative will be the vast underrepresentation of diverse racial and ethnic individuals in the national and worldwide registries. While there are more than 38 million registered donors from 55 countries in the registries, 75 percent of Black people and 55 percent of Latinos cannot find have a lifesaving match.  

The Town Hall discussion will also delve into the various barriers, reflective in other systems of care, that include mistrust of the healthcare system, cultural differences between patients and healthcare providers, lack of patient information, inadequate opportunities for economic, physical and emotional health, and much more.

Following the September 30^th event, the Town Hall series will be brought virtually to college campuses across the country to impact the next generation of changemakers. The program is proudly supported with the help of partners such as the NAACP, Fidelity Investments, Morgan Stanley and Rubius Therapeutics.  

"We are excited to partner with Gift of Life in this program to engage our members and student leaders around the country about the importance of giving back and using their voice for change, said Kyra Mitchell, NAACP, Chairman, National Youth Work Committee. "We know that youth-led efforts can serve as a powerful catalyst toward building and sustaining healthy, safe and equitable communities."

About Gift of Life Marrow Registry
Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. The organization, established in 1991, is dedicated to saving lives by facilitating bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. To learn more about Gift of Life Marrow Registry, visit www.giftoflife.org.

About NAACP
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP's work and our six "Game Changer" issue areas at naacp.org.

Media contact: Edwige Buteau, Gift of Life Marrow Registry
Office: +1 (516) 982-2921; Cell: +1 (917) 655-3843; [email protected]

SOURCE Gift of Life Marrow Registry