148 - Healthcare Disparities in Our Own Backyard: Panel Discussion with Meharry’s Dr. James Hildreth, VUMC’s Dr. Consuelo Wilkins, HCA’s Dr. Tama Van Decar, and Ascension’s Mary Kate Mouser

On October 6th, the United Way of Greater Nashville hosted a timely and compelling discussion on “Healthcare Disparities in Our Own Backyard.”  The panel was made possible by the United Way’s de Tocqueville Society, a now-global society that was founded in 1981 by my brother Dr. Tommy Frist, Jr., to deepen relationships between the United Way and community leaders.

We’re sharing this discussion with you as a close look at the health and healthcare disparities in one southern city, my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, as well as examine how our leading healthcare providers are working to specifically address these shortfalls.

In the discussion, we highlight some of the concerning statistics uncovered in a recent community health and well-being survey, which you can find at: www.nashvillehealth.org/survey

Now let me turn to our panel, where I’m joined by:

• James Hildreth, President & CEO of Meharry Medical College, and a member of the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force;
• Consuelo Wilkins, Senior Vice President & Senior Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center;
• Tama Van Decar, Chief Medical Officer of HCA Healthcare – TriStar Division; who prior to joining the private sector had a highly decorated 20-year military career, and
• Mary Kate Mouser, Director of Community Health and Benefits at Ascension Saint Thomas, where she works to establish strategies to improve the health of communities.