UUP members at Stony Brook HSC played a big part in the success of the second annual Suffolk County Minority Health Summit.

Eleven UUPers took part in the daylong event, co-sponsored by the Stony Brook HSC chapter, the Center for Public Health and Health Policy Research at Stony Brook (CPHHPR), the Suffolk County Minority Health Action Coalition (SMHAC) and Literacy Suffolk, Inc. It was held Nov. 21 at Stony Brook’s Southampton campus.

“The summit was definitely successful and it was well received,” said Jewel Stafford, a UUPer and CPHHPR’s research coordinator. “We were humbled by the community presence that was there and how many people are really committed to improving their community through a collective vision.”

About 80 Suffolk County residents attended the event, intended to reach out to communities on the eastern end of Long Island, which has limited access to vital health care resources. The summit was designed to identify minority health issues and develop methods to address those concerns.

“Through the summit, we’re trying to aid underserved people in the community and get them the health care information that they need,” said Charles Hines, Stony Brook HSC’s chapter treasurer and a UUP delegate. “We’re a hospital and a health technology center. We can incorporate all our skills into this.”

The summit is an extension of the CPHHPR, which is committed to improving the health of Long Island residents through researching critical public health issues there—including a lack of access to cancer screening, growing incidence of HIV/AIDS and increased gang violence.

Stafford said there’s every intention to stage a third summit in 2010.

“We have this consistent presence, this collective unit that’s dedicated to address the needs of these communities.”

— Michael Lisi