FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (7/2/10)
Contact: Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Chairman
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
662-247-3364 662-247-1471
e-mail: JuneteenthDOC@yahoo.com
web sites: www.njclc.com
www.AmericanPainInstitute.com
www.MyersFoundation.net
www.NationalJuneteenth.com
www.AMAApology.com
Frank McCune, M.D., M.B.A. Chairman
National Juneteenth Medical Commission
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
Cosmic International Foundation (CIF)
601-720-8046
e-mail: drfrankmccune@comcast.net
web sites: www.cosmichealthnetwork.com
National Juneteenth Black Medical "Maafa" Memorial Museum
Prayer Service in Tchula, Mississippi
Black Medical "Maafa" Memorial Museum Warns of the Crises of Black Genocide
Black Medical "Maafa" Memorial Museums Prayer Service on the Anniversary of the
AMA Apology to African American Physicians for Racism
Medical "Maafa" of Health Disparities Will Prevent
Effective Health Care Reform to the Poor
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.
Frank McCune, M.D., M.B.A.
(Tchula, Mississippi) - As President Obama and congress signed historic health care reform legislation, the fundamental problem of
access to health care and widening health care disparities for the poor continues to be ignored. The legacy of racism and
discrimination in health care, especially to African Americans in the Mississippi Delta, the country's poorest geographic
region, extends back to the era of enslavement and Jim Crow. African American physicians still find it extremely difficult
to maintain badly needed medical services to the poor because of the negative impact of decades of racial
discrimination.
The annual prayer service at the National Juneteenth Black Medical "Maafa" Memorial
Museum will take place in Tchula,
Mississippi, at 1:00pm, on Friday, the "16th of July," the anniversary date of the historic AMA Apology to
African American Physicians
for decades racism in 2008. The Founder and
Director of the museum is Tchula and Belzoni, Mississippi African American family physician, Baptist medical missionary, national
advocate for health care for the poor and the leader of the
"Modern Juneteenth Movement" in America, the Rev.
Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.
The museum was established in the
Myers Foundation Christian Family Health Center of Tchula building. The family health center
was
forced to close on January 1, 2004, because of what Rev., Dr. Myers emphatically calls "medical malpractice racism," leading to the
unjustified cancellation of the Baptist medical missionary's malpractice insurance.
"Several of my elderly patients have died because of the closure of these health centers," states Rev. Dr. Myers. "The legacy of enslavement continues to be
the cause of disproportionate death in the African American community, especially in the Mississippi Delta, America's poorest geographical region."
Rev. Dr. is leading a passionate national and worldwide call to prayer for reconciliation and healing from the legacy of enslavement. It has resulted in
the establishment of the
National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement on the "3rd Friday in June" and the
World Day of Reconciliation and Healing from the Legacy of Enslavement on the "last Saturday in August."
"As the descendants of Americans of African descent, our ancestors were brought to America and Mississippi in chains. This
should never be forgotten," states Rev. Dr. Myers, Founder & Chairman of the
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC), host of the annual
National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement. "Millions of our ancestors lost their lives during the
middle
passage, not to mention the thousands killed from lynching and murders, especially in Mississippi. One ponders as to why so
little attention has been given to our own history of death and destruction in America. In response, we have embraced the
term 'Maafa,' a Kiswahili term meaning 'Disaster' or 'Terrible Occurrence,' to tell
our own story about our enslavement and the sustained attempt to dehumanize us."
The National Juneteenth Black Medical "Maafa" Memorial Museum, on the site of the
Myers Foundation Family Health Center of Tchula, will tell the
story of the continuing American tragedy of institutional racism in health policy to the poor in the Mississippi Delta. This is
contributing to a
"negative population growth" that Rev. Dr. Myers describes as "Black Genocide," historically reinforced
by racially discriminatory policies by the AMA.
Dr. Myers spoke passionately about the "culture of death and
destruction" that is prevalent in the black community at the 2010 WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National
Holiday Observance during the National
Juneteenth Black Holocaust "Maafa" Memorial Service.
"I was glad to learn about the American Medical Association (AMA) apology for racial discrimination against black
physicians last year," states Rev. Dr. Myers, Founder & Chairman of the
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) and the American Pain Institute (API).
"Unfortunately, there has been no significant progress made from the apology, especially in Mississippi. This is the state where African Americans
suffer from the worst health care in the country and several black physicians were forced to close their desperately
needed medical practices as a result of the racially discriminatory policies of 'tort reform' endorsed by the AMA."
Dr. J. Edward Hill, while the first Mississippi physician to serve as President of the AMA, was a board member of the
Medical Assurance Company of Mississippi (MACM), the primary company for providing medical malpractice insurance for
Mississippi physicians at the time. MACM's all white physician Board of Directors refused to renew the medical
malpractice insurance policies of several black physicians, including Rev. Dr. Myers, forcing him to close several
Myers Foundation Christian
Family Health Centers in some of the poorest counties in America. Dr. Myers has never had a medical malpractice
judgment or claim against his medical practice after over 20 years of service to the poorest of the poor.
Dr. Myers accused Dr. Hill and MACM of practicing "medical malpractice racism", "medical malpractice red lining" and
"medical malpractice social engineering," and resulting in a "medical malpractice lynching." Rev., Dr. Myers also took issue with
the AMA and MACM's association with the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) which labeled several
Mississippi predominately poor black counties as "Judicial Hellholes," included Holmes County where one of the
Myers Foundation Christian Family Health Centers was forced to close in
2004. Dr. Myers crises was covered in a 2004 interview with Robin
Roberts on Good Morning America and
brought before congress by the leadership of the National Medical Association (NMA),
representing the country's black physicians. Dr. Myers considers himself the worse example of
"reverse tort reform" in U.S. history because of the discriminatory positions and policies of ATRA
supported by the AMA.
"This is just another tragic example of the modern day black health care 'Maafa' in America." states Rev. Dr.
Myers. "Death rates continue to soar in the African American community from youth gang violence, abortion, cancer, heart
disease, diabetes, lack of access to health care, disproportionate number of young African American males in prison unable
to become fathers, all leading to the disaster of 'negative population growth' and the eventual possible extinction of the
African American community."
Last year, following the example of the AMA, the
Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians issued an
apology for past racial discrimination.
"Family physicians are setting a positive role for medicine in Mississippi again," said Dr. Ron Myers.
"It was a wonderful step in a positive direction to bring racial reconciliation and healing in the medical profession. We look forward to working with
all physicians who will work constructively to bring closure to decades of racial discrimination in the medical profession in Mississippi."
Rev. Dr. Myers, Founder & Chairman of the
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
and Frank McCune, M.D., M.B.A., chairman of the National
Juneteenth Medical Commission, continue to host the annual National Juneteenth Health Care
Summit to address how increasing health care disparities and the tragic loss of African American physicians in the black community have
significantly contributed to a "negative population growth" and "Black Genocide". The summit
takes place at the annual Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth Jazz and Arts Festival in June.
For information about the National Juneteenth Black Medical "Maafa" Memorial Museum,
the National Juneteenth
Medical Commission and the
National Juneteenth Health Care Summit at the
Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth
Jazz and Arts Festival, the
National Day of Reconciliation and Healing from the Legacy of Enslavement or the
National Juneteenth Black Holocuast "Maafa" Memorial Service at the annual
WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National
Holiday Observance contact Dr.Myers at 662-247-3364 or 662-235-4227, e-mail:
JuneteenthDOC@yahoo.com or web sites:
www.AMAApology.com,
www.NationalJuneteenth.com,
www.19thofJune.com,
www.JazzMissouri.com,
www.njclc.com or
www.Juneteenth.us.
top