BENTON HARBOR — Professionals in medicine, allied health fields, and social work, as well as government leaders and community members are invited to attend the first speaker series as part of a three-year event titled Community Grand Rounds: Healing the Trauma of Racism.

The free program, “Moving Our Community toward Health Equity: Overcoming the Impact of Trauma and Racism” will take place at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, at the Hanson Theatre at Lake Michigan College, located at 2755 E. Napier Ave. in Benton Harbor.

During the event, Lakeland’s program director for Trauma-Informed Initiatives, Tasha Turner, MA, LLPC, along with internal medicine physician, Pat Rush, MD, MBA, will discuss the impact of psychological trauma on the brain and the impact of trauma on chronic disease and health inequities. They will also provide scientific evidence-based strategies for overcoming the effects of trauma.

Dr. Rush has worked with underserved populations for over 40 years. She retired as associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. Dr. Rush graduated from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at Cook County Hospital where she also served as director of Cook County’s emergency room for six years. She received a master’s in business administration from University of Chicago with a concentration in strategic management.

“Through the care of over 500 patients in a private practice in Chicago I identified a distinct group of high-risk patients with serious chronic illness,” said Dr. Rush. “These patients had a consistent pattern of trauma at a young age, profound sleep disorders, and emotional distress. Although not previously reported in the medical literature, this pattern represents a common pathway for many chronic illnesses and is a major contributor to health disparity.”

Community Grand Rounds is a collaborative effort between Lakeland Health and The Todman Family Foundation. Preregistration for this event is required by calling (269) 927-5361 or visiting lakelandhealth.org/cgr

Lakeland Health is a nonprofit, community-owned health system, which includes three hospitals, an outpatient surgery center, a cancer center, rehabilitation centers, long-term care, hospice, home care services, and physician practices. Lakeland was ranked as a 15 Top U.S. Health System by Truven Health Analytics in 2017. The health system has over 4,000 employees who provide clinical and support services at locations throughout southwest Michigan, and partners with more than 450 affiliated physicians and other providers. For more information, visit lakelandhealth.org