Preventing Sickness Focus of 2009 Healthy Heritage Wellness Conference

Phyllis Clark announces the Fifth Annual Healthy Heritage Wellness Conference will be held Aug. 1 at California Baptist University. Chris Sloan photo.

(RIVERSIDE, Calif.) The fifth annual Healthy Heritage Wellness Conference (www.healthyheritagemovement.com) has set the date of the 2009 conference for August 1 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. at California Baptist University in Riverside.

“This year we will focus on prevention,” said Phyllis Clark, founder and president of the Healthy Heritage Movement. “We now have a sick care system, not a health care system. If something’s wrong, we patch it up. We don’t address the problems before they start, which is so much more effective.”

Clark added that prevention is especially key this year because President Barack Obama is making healthcare reform a priority. His comprehensive healthcare plan will modernize the system by investing in prevention initiatives.

“I am thrilled to know that the President’s plan is promoting health and wellness,” she said. “His plan emphasize that wellness is a shared responsibility and will empower Americans by providing resources and making prevention services accessible to all.”

As a member of African-American Health Initiative team and surviving daughter of a mother lost to colon cancer, Clark committed herself to help Black people live longer. The Healthy Heritage Wellness Conference will teach the community how to find the resources and how to take control of their healthcare.

“The Healthy Heritage Movement mission is to eliminate health disparities in the Black community by providing cultural relevant resources, peer navigation, and advocacy training,” Clark said. “Now that we have a federal administration that supports wellness, we as a community must be proactive and diligent about accessing the prevention resources and opportunities that will be available.

The 2009 conference will offer seminars from the nation’s leading healthcare professionals together with free screenings for mammograms, HIV/AIDS, prostate cancer and blood sugar levels, Clark said.

The free Healthy Heritage Wellness Conference is organized by a committee, which includes community members, Inland Agency, the American Cancer Society, the Southern California Witness Project, Dameron Communications and many volunteers.

Sponsorships for this year’s conference are still available. They include The American Cancer Society, Pharmaceutical and Research Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), , The Purpose Center, City of Hope, the Riverside Community Health Foundation, Inland Agency, Abbott, Novartis, Southern California Edison and Dameron Communications.

For more information or make a reservation to attend the Healthy Heritage Wellness Conference call (951) 288-4375 or e-mail info@healthyheritagemovement.org

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