December 10, 2003

Contact:
Sara Brenner, Vice Chancellor HPD
(954) 262-1512
Jennifer Meriam, NSU Public Affairs Director
(954) 262-5355
Rita Cohl, HPD Marketing and Communications
(954) 262-1595

NSU Hosts " A Glimpse Of The Future Of Health Care In America 2004"
Third Annual Conference Addresses: Obesity, Mental Health, Wellness & Fitness, Purchasing Medication from the Internet, and Importing Prescription Drugs from Canada

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL---Nova Southeastern University (NSU) will host its third annual conference on health care access, entitled: "A Glimpse of the Future of Health Care in America 2004." The two-day conference will be held on Friday, January 9 and Saturday, January 10 in the Health Professions Division complex at 3200 University Drive in Davie.

This year the special featured speaker is Senator Ken Pruitt of the Florida Senate, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. The keynote speaker is Lisa Simpson, M.D., former deputy secretary for the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. Presently, Dr. Simpson is the ACH Guild Endowed Chair in Child Health Policy at the University of South Florida.

On Friday, January 9 from 2 – 4 p.m. there will be a free interactive community forum comprised of a distinguished panel of experts who will answer questions pertaining to health care access in 2004. The panel will focus on a wide-range of topics and members of the audience will have a chance to question panel members on such topics as: purchasing prescription medications over the Internet or importing medicine from Canada; another concern is finding quality health care in America today.
Senator Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is chairing the third annual conference on health care, believes the meeting addresses the most important health issues of our time, with emphasis on the millions Americans who are struggling with obesity, mental health issues, and the high-cost of prescription drugs. The panel will also address the question: Quality health Care: can we find it in hospitals and medical practices today?

We are facing a crisis in America where millions of citizens are unable to afford prescription drugs," said Senator Wasserman Schultz. "There is also a sense that people have lost confidence in the quality of health care in hospitals and in medical practices around the nation. The Health Professions Division at NSU inaugurated this conference to advance the dialogue on important topics pertaining to the future of health care in America. Our goal is to work towards developing solutions to this burgeoning problem."

There is a registration fee of $95 for the two-day event, which starts on Friday evening with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner with Senator Ken Pruitt. Saturday’s plenary sessions include a continental breakfast and luncheon with Dr. Lisa Simpson. There is no charge for the interactive community forum on Friday afternoon.

Note: CME credit for physicians, pharmacists, and other health professionals will be provided by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). For more information and reservations call Karen Perez at (954)-262-1501. You can also email kperez@nova.edu