Florida Blue Foundation's Sapphire Symposium Speakers Feature CMS, Harvard Physicians

ORLANDO, Fla., April 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Cara James, director of the Office of Minority Health at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and Dr. Joseph Betancourt, Harvard Medical School associate professor and director of the Disparities Solutions Center, are featured speakers at the 2016 Sapphire Symposium and Awards, hosted by the Florida Blue Foundation.

The symposium takes place April 20-21 at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando and features community health experts from around the state and country. It is open to anyone who wishes to attend. For information or to register, visit the event registration site or www.floridabluefoundation.com. A limited number of registration scholarships are available. Email [email protected] for more information. The deadline to apply for scholarships is April 13.

Dr. Betancourt, who also serves as the director of multicultural education for Massachusetts General Hospital, is an expert in cross-cultural care and communication, and co-chairs the hospital's committee on racial and ethnic disparities and Harvard Medical School's cross-cultural care committee. He will deliver the opening speech on April 20 on the topic of engaging diverse populations in health care.

On April 21, Dr. James will discuss CMS's Equity Plan for Improving Quality in Medicare, an initiative aimed at helping consumers understand their coverage and connect to care, and at reducing health care disparities. During Dr. James' tenure, the CMS Office of Minority Health has committed to strengthening the quality and quantity of patient demographic data to improve the understanding and awareness of health disparities and their causes.

Other highlighted speakers at the symposium include Hulian Krenn, Ph.D, director of Learning and Impact at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and Henrie Treadwell, Ph.D., founding director of the Community Voices Healthcare for the Underserved and a professor at Morehouse School of Medicine.

Additionally, Florida Blue's Chairman and CEO Pat Geraghty will speak at the Sapphire Awards luncheon on April 21 and will award $350,000 in grants from the Florida Blue Foundation to 13 honorees for excellence and innovation in community health.

About the Florida Blue Foundation

Florida Blue Foundation is a trade name of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation, Inc. Florida Blue Foundation is a separate, philanthropic affiliate of Florida Blue, Florida's Blue Cross and Blue Shield company. The Foundation and its parent are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information about the Foundation, please visit www.floridabluefoundation.com.

Florida Blue and Florida Blue Foundation are on Facebook and Twitter.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120904/MM67207LOGO

SOURCE Florida Blue Foundation

Related Links

http://www.floridabluefoundation.com