Northeastern University and the Tri Ad Veterans League, Inc. to Announce Findings of Pilot Study on African-American Veterans’ Health Experiences and Health Status at Press Conference

WHEN:           Thursday, April 26, 2007 at 1:30 p.m.

WHERE:         William E. Carter American Legion Post No. 16

1531 Blue Hill Ave.     Mattapan, MA 02126

WHO:             Northeastern University and the Tri Ad Veterans League, Inc. (Boston-based grassroots group of African-American veterans)

WHAT:           Northeastern University and the Tri Ad Veterans League, Inc. are holding a press conference to announce the findings of a pilot study, titled “Health Experiences and Health Status of African-American Veterans.” The report, prepared for the Boston Public Health Commission (BHCP) by the Institute on Urban Health Research at Northeastern with the help of the Tri Ad Veterans, surveyed Boston-area African-American veterans to assess their health status, as well as their perceived discrimination from health care providers and their experiences in health care.

Partially funded by the BHCP and Northeastern University, the study was conducted in the spring and summer of 2006 with a group of African-American veterans in Boston. Findings from the study include:

• 78% of the respondents recalled having an experience of discrimination where they received health care services
• About two-thirds of the sample did not use VA as their sole provider, although only about 10% indicated a lack of willingness to use the VA in the future
• Uncovered were significant relationships between perceived discrimination from health care providers and satisfaction with care, and between quality of care and physical functioning

Guests invited to the event include Governor Deval Patrick; representatives from the offices of Senator John Kerry and Congressman Stephen Lynch; Senator Diane Wilkerson; Massachusetts Secretary of Veteran Services Tom Kelly; representatives from the Boston Public Health Commission and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services; and community leaders.

For more information on the press conference and the pilot study, please contact Renata Nyul at 617-373-7424 or at r.nyul@neu.edu.

About Northeastern

Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in the heart of Boston. Northeastern is a leader in interdisciplinary research, urban engagement, and the integration of classroom learning with real-world experience. The university's distinctive cooperative education program, where students alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, is one of the largest and most innovative in the world. The University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in six undergraduate colleges, eight graduate schools, and two part-time divisions. For more information, please visit www.northeastern.edu.

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