ECU honor society hosts health care forum

Several of the nation’s leading authorities on health care will convene at East Carolina University Oct. 7 to discuss issues concerning regional health concerns and health insurance.

Hosted by the ECU chapter of the Phi Beta Phi honor society, the event will feature Henry Aaron, a senior fellow of the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C., as well as a panel of experts in Medicare and Medicaid, public health, legal insurance issues, public health, pediatrics and case management.

Issues to be discussed include how well the current US health insurance system serves particular groups of citizens and achieves social values of the nation, and how gubernatorial and presidential candidates’ health reform plans would affect the current health care system.

The forum will take place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the auditorium at the Brody School of Medicine.

“This is a showcase for East Carolina’s demonstrated commitment to the health and well-being of North Carolina’s citizens which is reflected in our response plan to UNC Tomorrow with a focus on improving the lives of the people we serve,” said Marilyn Sheerer, interim provost and vice chancellor of academic and student affairs.

Panel participants include: Dr. Pam Silberman, president & CEO of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and public health professor at the University of North Carolina School Of Public Health; attorney Mark Hall; ECU pediatrics professor Dr. Charles Willson; Joel Butler, vice president for external affairs at University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina and Member of the ECU Board of Trustees. The panel will be moderated by Bob Greczyn, chair of the ECU Board of Trustees and President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

The mission of the of Phi Kappa Phi honor society is to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education, honoring scholarship from cross-disciplinary perspectives. Co-sponsors include: ECU’s Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs; the Division of Research and Graduate Studies, the ECU Leadership Initiative, and Pitt County Memorial Hospital. The Eastern Area Health Education Center will provide continuing education credit opportunities for participants.

The public is invited to attend this free forum. For more information, contact Ron Newton, Graduate School, East Carolina University, at newtonro@ecu.edu, or 252-328-2956. The web site is: http://www.ecu.edu/org/pkp/activities.htm.