From a press release:
MAHEC celebrates 10th anniversary of Minority Medical Mentoring Program
On May 21, 2015, the Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA), Mission Health, the Western Carolina Medical Society (WCMS) and the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Minority Medical Mentoring Program (MMMP) at the annual HOPE Banquet. The MMMP began in the fall of 2005 as a high school internship for under-represented minorities with an interest in practicing medicine. The overarching goals of MMMP are to increase the number of underrepresented minorities training and practicing medicine in WNC; enhanced quality of care (prevention & wellness) as a result of increased workforce diversity; and achieve increased levels of health parity for populations of color in WNC.
Out of the 974 physicians actively practicing medicine in Buncombe County, only two percent are underrepresented minorities “self-reporting” according to the Western Carolina Medical Society physician database as of May 29, 2013. Today, the program pairs high school students with physicians, physician assistants, physical therapists, pharmacists and dentists practicing in Buncombe County. The MMMP Program is open to students who are participating in a school-sanctioned internship for course credit through the Asheville City or Buncombe County High Schools. Students who participate in MMMP are more likely to enroll and graduate from college and come back to practice in western North Carolina. This program is a foundation for the conceptual pipeline for students in WNC. Founding members from MMMP partner organizations will be highlighted at the banquet, as well as former MMMP alums.
The MMMP internship and its related programs give students of color and disadvantaged students opportunities they would not otherwise have. Many of these students may be first generation high school graduates and the first generation to attend college, so many of their families do not have the knowledge and/or experience to assist their students in preparation for higher education. “This is an innovative program located here in Buncombe County that is needed throughout the state and particularly in the rural Appalachian communities. With continued support, this program will continue to grow, thrive and change lives,” says Jacquelyn Hallum, MAHEC’s Director of Health Careers and Diversity Education.
One of the first MMMP students, Terrell Morton of Asheville, will be the keynote speaker at the HOPE Banquet. Terrell is currently a Ph.D. student at UNC Chapel Hill. Proceeds from the event will support the Dr. Charles Blair Health Parity Scholarship Fund that awards each MMMP intern a scholarship. The HOPE Banquet will be held at the Mary C. Nesbitt MAHEC Biltmore Campus on Thursday, May 21, 2015 from 6-8:30pm. Registration can be completed by contacting Je’Wana Grier-McEachin, executive director of Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement via email at jewana@abipa.org or 828-251-8364, or online at www.mahec.net/HOPE2015.
The program is supported through the Health Career and Diversity Education Department at MAHEC, Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA), Western Carolina Medical Society (WCMS), and Mission Health.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.