Join us for a VIRTUAL forum led by medical professionals as they discuss the implications of COVID-19 and its impact on the black community. PART 2 - Virtual REAL TALK - COVID-19 & its Impact on the Black Community THIS EVENT IS SPONSORED BY: The Mary L. Thomas Award for Civic Leadership and Community Change The Spartanburg County Foundation Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System The rapid spread of COVID-19 has created a new normal globally, nationally, at the state-level, and in the community of Spartanburg County, S.C. Our community is faced with new challenges, such as social distancing, employee layoffs, and greater need for assistance. The racial inequities brought to light in the Spartanburg Racial Equity Index Report are also amplified by this pandemic. DHEC stats report that the virus has disproportionately affected black citizens across the state. As of April 14, DHEC was reporting that, despite making up only 27 percent of the population, African Americans accounted for 41 percent of the state’s COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, 56 percent of South Carolina’s coronavirus deaths had been African Americans. Join us for an open forum led by medical professionals as they discuss the implications of COVID-19 and its impact on the black community. This REAL TALK forum will extend over three sessions, with different thought leaders, each highlighting specific health related fields including physical, mental, and spiritual health and well-being. In this second session, our team of panelists will be discussing COVID-19 and its impact on the black community's physical health., as well as answer questions submitted by the community. MEET OUR PANELISTS: MODERATOR: Reverend Stacey Mills - Assistant Vice Chancellor for Regional Engagement and Executive Director of the Greenville Campus for the University of South Carolina Upstate Stacey Mills, ’03 USC Upstate Alumnus, enjoyed his stay at the University so much that he returned in 2009 as the assistant director of student life. In 2015, he became interim executive director of USC Upstate’s Greenville Campus. The following year, he officially took over the role, which combines working with the community and leading efforts to provide quality programs for the region’s needs. Mills was recently appointed to the Greenville Health Authority Board of Trustees and named South Regional Trustee for the National Board for the Urban League. He also serves as chairman of the Urban League’s board. Stacey Mills, a vehicle to community development, economic partnerships, and development, is the Senior Pastor at Mountain View Baptist Church in Downtown Greenville, South Carolina where he has served for the past 22 years. The third pastor in the 110-year history of Mountain View, Mills is a bridge-builder within his multi-generational and multi-ethnic congregation. Marlon Hunter - President & Chief Executive Officer, ReGenesis Healthcare Marlon Hunter has more than twenty-five years of combined experience in public health, healthcare, occupational safety, and environmental health. He has a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Health and a Masters of Arts in Organizational Management. Marlon Hunter served with DeKalb County Board of Health in Decatur Georgia, Carolina’s Health Care System in Charlotte, North Carolina, Florida Department of Health in Tallahassee, and most recently as Public Health Director at Forsyth […]