City Of Hope Announces Inaugural Dine In For Health Justice

City of Hope's Health Justice Council will host the inaugural Dine In for Health Justice, a month-long virtual event designed as a CALL TO ACTION to raise awareness and funds for crucial health care issues facing minority communities. Dine In encourages friends and family to organize virtual dinner parties - or lunch or breakfast, for that matter - beginning Saturday, Sept. 26, and continuing through the month of October.

Anyone can hold a virtual Dine-In! Upon registering to host a meal, hosts will receive a brief video to play for their guests with crucial information from City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. The video will feature words from co-chairs Cheryl Boone Isaacs (CBI Enterprises and former president of AMPAS), Spectrum News anchor Giselle Fernandez, actor/philanthropist/restaurateur Danny Trejo, as well as City of Hope's health equities expert, Rick Kittles, Ph.D., and a personal testimonial from "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts.

Participants are asked to contribute an amount equal to or greater than what they would spend dining out. Donations to Dine In for Health Justice will benefit City of Hope's Division of Health Equities and will support community education, health screenings and research. All contributions are 100% tax-deductible.

Other co-chairs include model/actress Beverly Johnson, actress/dancer Vanessa Bell Callaway, and "L.A.'s Finest" actor, Melvin Robert. Those serving on the Host Committee include EGOT actress Rita Moreno, actress Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Grammy songwriter Kuk Harrell, producer Reuben Cannon and others in the industry. Variety is the official media partner for the event, which is produced by Scott Mauro Entertainment Inc.

National statistics have consistently revealed health inequalities in hospitals and health systems around the country. Mortality rates in the Black community exceed those in the white community by 40% for cerebrovascular disease and 13% for cancer. Plus, diabetes is an epidemic in the Latino community. It's estimated that more than 1 out of 10 people of Latin American descent over the age of 20 have diabetes. Biomedical research has shown that biology does not fully explain this disparity, and little has been done to acknowledge the historical injustices of racism and discrimination as a factor that perpetuates health inequity in minority communities. Now, highlighted by the current pandemic, it is clear - health care for minorities needs to be a priority.

"The historic lack of attention on the health of poor communities of color in this country has led to systematic disparities in health and health outcomes, increased financial insecurity and toxicity, and the extreme lack of trust for biomedical research and the health care community," remarked Kittles, associate director of Health Equities at City of Hope. "Sadly, many of the health disparities we see can be eliminated if focused prevention strategies were employed and if diseases were caught early."

City of Hope is working to ensure health equity and justice in medical research, clinical trials and precision medicine. Together, we can help eliminate health disparities currently facing minority communities.

Join us by hosting a dinner party and reaching out to your friends and family to help raise awareness and funds for this vital work. Be a part of the solution!

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