Good morning ladies and gentlemen,

I welcome you again on behalf of Dr. Obinna Oriaku and the staff of Crown Clinic.

Today represents not just a milestone for Crown Clinic and Dr. Oriaku, but indeed, a milestone for the Charlotte Community.  Despite the rigors that come with the practice of medicine, and the inevitable fact that we all need physicians in our personal lives, we must acknowledge that particularly in these times of dire economic stress, the value of health care providers, and the ability to have health care coverage cannot be overstated.

As such, the role of the health care provider comes with large responsibility.  Responsibility to the individual patient and responsibility to the communities in which health care providers work, and in which their patients reside.

We must understand though, that the responsibility for providing Health Care to patients in general, and to the patients of Crown Clinic in particular?, is a shared one?, shared by it?s physician staff, it?s nursing staff and it?s administrative staff. At Crown Clinic, you are all in the business of Health care delivery irrespective of your individual backgrounds. As such, you should be cognizant of the responsibility that comes with the privilege to be part of a process to heal the sick.  It should be done with empathy and with a deep sentiment of compassion.

Enshrined in the values of the Hippocratic Oath, is the responsibility as a physician (and his or her surrogates) to ?First Do No Harm? as you Heal the Sick.  With that, comes an understated responsibility to provide health education first and foremost, to prevent illness, and to encourage participation more so in wellness programs?, rather than in treatment programs after the onset of disease. The emphasis on healthy lifestyle choices and the personal responsibility that patients must take for their individual health care?, must be made and repeatedly reinforced.

Special responsibility comes to those physicians and practices that cater to large populations of minority patients. It is now a scientifically proven fact that minority patients, irrespective of their education or health insurance status, experience worse health outcomes in the US Health system. Disparities exist among treatment outcomes of several disease entities including Cardiac disease, Cancer screening and management, Diabetes, Obesity, HIV/ AIDS, Infant mortality, Immunizations (pediatric/ geriatric) and much more.

How do we continue to explain and accept the fact that in this era of technological advancement and breakthroughs in medicine in the US, that:

1. 40% of all African American men and women above the age of 20 have cardiovascular disease (CDC), and that in 2005 heart disease accounted for 40% of all African American deaths in the US.
2. The frequency of hypertension in African Americans is the highest in the world.
3. 40% of African American men and 45% of African American women have elevated levels of blood cholesterol.
4. 60% of African Americans are overweight and 30% are obese.

How do we explain the observation that:

1. Black men are 50% more likely to die from a heart attack than their white counterparts?, even if they make it to the hospital.
2. Death from stroke is five times commoner in African American and Hispanic men and women between the ages of 35 to 45, than whites of similar age groups.
3. African American and Hispanic women had the lowest risk factor awareness of any racial or ethnic group according to an AHA survey in February 2004.
4. African American Diabetics are 30% less likely than their white counterparts to obtain an eye care visit, an important part of diabetes management.
5. 40% of Black  women receive Pap tests compared to the national average of 64%
6. 30% of African Americans do not receive the standard care for HIV infection as compared to 12% of whites.
7. 70% of older whites receive influenza vaccinations compared to 50%  of older African Americans

Black men have the world?s highest prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates. The death rate from cancer is 40 percent higher for African American men than for White men. Black women are 20 percent more likely to die from cancer than are Caucasian women. Native American women have the lowest cancer survival rates of all.

Why does this continue to occur in 21^st Century US Medicine? Is it because we as a minority population have no knowledge of these disparities?  Is it because of a lack of sensitivity of our healthcare systems to these issues?

Irrespective of the reasons, it no longer serves us much value to regurgitate these adverse data. It is time to correct these inequities. There are several solutions, and the problems are formidable. But at a grass roots level, the formation of quality health care facilities (such as Crown Clinic) that understand the concept of health disparities, taking time to identify at risk populations, and assisting in their health education and treatment is a first step.

It is for this reason that we come together today, and celebrate and applaud Crown Clinic on the successful opening of their new facility. Your challenge will be to provide equitable health care for all, irrespective of gender or ethnicity, and your goal should be to become part of the solution to the complex problem of health disparities.

Congratulations Dr. Oriaku! May you continue to provide value to your patients and job creation for Charlotte. We collectively wish you well and pray that you realize much personal and professional fulfillment.

Yele Aluko MD.