CHCA Joins 9th Biennial Minority Health Summit
- Katrina Dupins
- May 12
- 2 min read
Community Health Centers of Arkansas was proud to participate in the 9th Biennial Minority Health Summit on Friday, April 17. This year's theme was A Bridge to Care: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Heart Health in Minority Arkansans. It set the tone for a day of powerful conversations, bold commitments, and a renewed focus on health equity across the state.
Architects of a Healthier Heart
CHCA CEO Dr. Lanita Shaverd joined Dr. Lowry Barnes, Troy Wells, Nikki Smith, and Dr. Bruce Murphy on a panel titled Architects of a Healthier Heart: Blueprints to Multidisciplinary Excellence. The panel explored how cross-sector collaboration is essential to meaningful progress in cardiovascular health outcomes for minority Arkansans.
Food as Medicine
Joshua Harris, executive director and founder of Well Fed, offered one of the day's most memorable framings: "The kitchen is the most powerful pharmacy we own." Harris highlighted the difference between food insecurity and nutrition insecurity, noting that far too many people lack access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential for optimal health.
Tobacco’s Role as a Primary Risk Factor for Heart Health
Dr. Pebbles Fagan took attendees through the history of tobacco commercialization and its deliberate marketing to vulnerable communities, connecting the long arc of that industry's impact to current disparities in cardiovascular health among smokers and those exposed to secondhand smoke.
Heart Disease in the Family: Lessons from Siblings
Siblings Jhi Apakama and Josiah Shirlee and their family members talked about their personal journey with heart disease.
Keynote: A Call to Listen
Anthony Fletcher, an interventional cardiologist with CHI St. Vincent Cardiology and Medicine in Little Rock and president of the Association of Black Cardiologists, delivered the keynote address. Fletcher challenged clinicians and patients alike to open the door to fuller conversations about health.
The Mouth-Body Connection
Dr. Takiha Jefferson, a general dentist with Aspen Dental, gave a clinical presentations with a focus on dental access and its connection to overall health. "We cannot achieve health equity by treating the mouth as separate from the body," Jefferson said, highlighting the barriers that prevent many Arkansans, particularly those without adequate coverage, from receiving regular dental care.
The summit also honored the legacy of former executive directors, recognizing the foundation of leadership that has carried minority health advocacy forward in Arkansas.