FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (7/9/09)


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.19thofJune.com
                            www.Juneteenth.us
                            www.njclc.com
                            www.AmericanPainInstitute.com
                            www.MyersFoundation.net
                            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



Opening of Medical "Maafa" Museum Warns of the Crises of Black Genocide

Medical "Maafa" of Health Disparities Will Prevent
Effctive Health Care Reform to the Poor

National Juneteenth Black Medical "Maafa" Memorial Museum
Opens in Tchula, Mississippi

Black Medical "Maafa" Memorial Museums Opens on the Anniversary of the
AMA Apology to African American Physicians for Racism


Myers
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.


Frank McCune, M.D., M.B.A.



(Tchula, Mississippi) - As President Obama and congress debate the issue of health care reform, 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 in the black community because of the negative impact of the racially discriminatory policies of "tort reform."

The openning ceremony of the National Juneteenth Black Medical "Maafa" Memorial Museum will take place in Tchula, Mississippi, on the anniversary date of the historic AMA Apology to African American Physicians for decades racism in 2008, on Friday, the "17th of July," 2009, beginning at 11:30am, in Tchula, Mississippi. The Founder and Director of the museum is Tchula and Belzoni, Mississippi black 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.

"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. "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 will tell the story of the continuing American tragedy of institutional racism in health policy to the poor African Americans 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. He pleaded for African Americans to take responsibility for our present health care crises during the 2009 WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance at 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 National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC). "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 countries 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 extinction of the African American community."

Rev. Dr. Myers 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.19thofJune.com, www.JazzMissouri.com, www.njclc.com or www.Juneteenth.us.

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