Former First Daughter Barbara Bush Calls for Global Health Equity at National Press Club Luncheon May 26

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May 17, 2010, 05:13 ET

WASHINGTON, May 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Barbara Bush will speak out about the extreme disparity in health care between the world's rich and poor at a National Press Club luncheon on Wednesday, May 26 and describe what the non-profit she heads is doing to improve public health in underserved communities here and abroad.

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Bush, 28, is the president of the Global Health Corps (www.ghcorps.org) , a group she helped found two years ago with input from her sister Jenna. The organization places recent college graduates in yearlong fellowships aimed at improving health care access. The first 22 fellows were assigned to 12 project sites in East Africa and the United States and this year the goal is to place 36 fellows. Global Health Corps partners include the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative, Dr. Paul Farmer's Partners in Health, Covenant House International and the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

A 2004 graduate of Yale, Bush interned for a children's hospital in Capetown, South Africa, and for UNICEF in Botswana and has traveled extensively in Africa with the UN World Food Program. "It was frustrating that most kids were suffering from totally preventable diseases, like malaria and diarrhea," she has said of her time in Africa. "It made me think – how can we solve these issues if the same people keep asking the same questions?"

Bush is the daughter of former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush. This will be her first appearance at the National Press Club.

The National Press Club luncheon will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m. Bush's remarks will begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. Reservations should be made by telephoning (202) 662-7501. Cost of the luncheon is $17 for National Press Club members, $28 for guests of members, and $35 general admission.

The National Press Club is located at 14^th and F Streets, NW, one block west of Metro Center. More information about he Club and its programs can be found at: www.press.org

SOURCE National Press Club