64th Annual Conference

Wednesday, March 7

6:30 – 8:00 P.M.

Mitchell Hochberg Memorial Public Education Event

Better But Not Well: Approaches to the Elimination of Disparities in Mental Health Care

This presentation will explore both the history of disparities as well as the efficacy of cultural competence as a policy and service framework for approaching and resolving the dilemma of disparities. Dr. Davis will offer a market based definition of cultural competence and apply that definition to the barriers associated with racial, ethnic and language disparities.

Dr. King Davis is Executive Director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and the Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy at the University of Texas at Austin, School of Social Work. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Texas at Austin in February 2001. And, in February 2002, he received the lifetime achievement award from the Council on Social Work Education. Dr. Davis has written and published numerous articles and reports on mental health, managed health care, fund raising and social justice. His book, entitled, The Color of Social Policy, was published early in 2004. He recently served on the Surgeon General's Workgroup on Mental Health, Culture, Race and Ethnicity and helped write the report on cultural competence for the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (2003).