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Daily Planet Staff 

Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson calls the newly released health care statistics “outrageous.” 

African-American children in Alameda County are more than three times as likely to die during their first year of life than children of any other racial/ethnic groups. African-American children are the least up-to-date on their immunizations. In Berkeley, African Americans are more likely than their ethnic counterparts to die from AIDS, cancer, heart disease, injuries and violence. 

Alameda County’s report, released two weeks ago, underscores the disparate state of health between the black and white communities in the county. The health divide is mirrored in Berkeley and outlined the city of Berkeley’s 1999 Health Status Report, released earlier this year. 

“There are glaring statistics regarding health in the African American community,” said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, who has joined Carson to host a community forum Wednesday on the Health Status of Blacks in the City of Berkeley. 

The findings in the Berkeley and Alameda studies will be discussed by health experts, including Dr. Michael LeNoir, physician and radio commentator; Dr. Poki Namkung, Berkeley’s health officer; Dr. Vicki Alexander, Director of Maternal and Child Health for the city of Berkeley; Dr. Melanie Tervalon, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital; and Shyaam Shabaka, a health outreach worker. 

Both Carson and Lee said the forum will bring information directly to the impacted South Berkeley community. But its intent is to go beyond education. The evening will be a venue where the community can begin organizing to address its own health needs, Carson said. 

“When more people are aware, they can take action,” Carson said. 

The forum is co-sponsored by a number of community groups, including the Berkeley chapter of the NAACP, the San Pablo Avenue Neighborhood Association and the Tyler King Neighborhood Association. 

Another participant in the forum will be Anthony Santangelo, director of the Berkeley High Health Center. 

Because of last week’s fire at Berkeley High, the health center, which serves some 55 students each day, is not usable. Santangelo said he hopes to make people attending the forum aware of the importance of the health center so that the school district will not forget the center when the school receives portable buildings to replace fire-scarred classrooms. 

The high school health center serves as the primary source of medical care for some 760 students who have no health insurance, Santangelo said. 

Lee told the Daily Planet that the issues that divide the black and white communities – and that lead to disparate health care – are huge: housing, jobs, education and more. It all cannot be tackled at once, but these issues need to be addressed nonetheless, she said. 

“It’s got to be a multi-faceted, comprehensive approach. We’ve got to look at the big picture,” she said. 

The task is not impossible, Lee said. “The first step is to have some dialogue.” 

The forum is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, at Progressive Avenue Baptist Church 3301 King St. in Berkeley.