African Americans make up only 13% of the US population, yet they experience the highest chronic illness rates and mortality rates of all ethnic groups. What’s worse, they are more likely to receive less-desirable treatments for health issues. It’s no wonder that many feel mistrust towards healthcare systems. No one should feel that their healthcare wishes are not a priority.
The Let’s Talk About ACP™ (Advance Care Planning) program helps local leaders and organizations educate their communities about issues of end-of-life-care and advance care planning. It is the most comprehensive resource for starting these important conversations and putting plans in place.
If you’re a healthcare or end-of-life-related organization, you can sponsor Let’s Talk About ACP™ workshops in your area. It’s an excellent way to address long-standing issues of mistrust and promote a positive image in communities of color.
From both education and experience, I know the devastating effects of inequitable care and service. I understand how medical professionals speaking “med language” rather than “community language” can lead to misunderstandings and mistrust. After dealing with these issues with family members’ care and facing my own near-death experience, I realized something needed to change.
Most healthcare education programs come from the dominant culture and do not necessarily address the needs of communities of color in culturally relevant ways. As a Black woman with both a Master’s degree in Social Work and a Interdisciplinary PhD in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership Policy and Foundations, I am uniquely positioned to speak to both client areas—the healthcare professional and the individual and community level client.
I developed the Let’s Talk About ACP™ program to help local leaders educate and empower their communities on issues of end-of-life care and advance care planning. My prayer is that the families and caregivers you serve will be equipped to prepare for life after now.
Gloria Thomas Anderson, PhD, LMSW
Advance Care Planning Expert and Author
We'll talk about your organization and explain what it looks like to become a program sponsor.
If there's a good fit, and you'd like to move forward, we'll welcome you onboard as a sponsor for a Let's Talk About ACP™ workshop in your community.
By sponsoring Let's Talk About ACP™ workshops, you'll make a difference by addressing healthcare mistrust, meeting the needs of communities of color, and helping families achieve certainty in their healthcare preferences.
A lot of healthcare organizations want to establish trust with the Black community and serve them better. The problem is, many African Americans feel mistrust towards healthcare systems due to historical harm and disparaging treatment. As a result, many organizations feel uncomfortable and unsure about how to best connect with and serve African Americans. Forging trust and goodwill shouldn’t have to be rocket science.
Following her own medical emergency, Dr. Gloria Thomas Anderson experienced this first-hand when she suffered inequitable treatment and a near-death experience. She created the Let’s Talk About ACP™ program to help prevent the same thing from happening to other African Americans. Let’s Talk About ACP™ addresses African American concerns about healthcare and end-of-life planning in a culturally-relevant way, equipping participants to feel confident and at peace about their healthcare decisions.
The Let’s Talk About ACP™ program provides a way for healthcare providers and related organizations to connect with the African-American community at the heart level, building trust and resulting in increased service delivery. The process to become a sponsor is simple:
We invite you to schedule a call with us today to learn more about sponsoring Let’s Talk About ACP™. Take an active step to address healthcare mistrust and help families achieve greater peace and certainty in their healthcare preferences.
Join Let’s Talk About ACP™ to help address healthcare disparities
in advance care planning for the African-American community.
Let's Talk About ACP™ is an initiative of Heart Tones™. The mission of Heart Tones™ is to educate, equip and empower individuals, families, and caregivers with resources and knowledge to help make informed decisions in healthcare and end-of-life planning through culturally responsive approaches.
Learn more about the projects and initiatives of Heart Tones™. »