With health care access, rising costs and mental health top of mind, community leaders gathered for an in-depth conversation at The Tri-State Defender’s Health and Wellness Forum, held at the Memphis Health Center Wednesday, May 14. The goal was to connect with readers and explore barriers to health care in the Black community. The event was part of the TSD in the Community Forums series.
Moderated by civic leader Lori Spicer Robertson, the panel featured a cross-section of health care and government leaders dedicated to reshaping care for underserved communities.
Panelists included:
- Miska Clay Bibbs, Shelby County commissioner and budget chair
- Tish Towns, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Regional One Health
- Richard Ransom, strategic communications director at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
- Dr. Robert Decolli, chief medical officer at Memphis Health Center
- August White, executive director of the Mental Health Cooperative
From the outset, speakers emphasized their commitment to the health and wellness of the Memphis community, many sharing personal ties and professional missions rooted in service.
“I drive down Jefferson every day to make a difference,” said Towns, a Memphis native and Orange Mound resident. “We’re not just in this work — we’re from the communities we serve.”
The cost of care and chronic disease
The rising cost of care dominated early discussions. Panelists noted that while programs like the Affordable Care Act have improved access, many families remain underinsured or unable to pay for services. Decolli pointed to flexible models in place at Memphis Health Center to assist patients, including a sliding fee scale, Saturday hours, walk-in availability and mobile units for underserved neighborhoods.
Bibbs discussed the significant chunk of the county’s budget spent on health care and highlighted the use of federal opioid settlement dollars to launch programs like the District Connector Program, a grassroots initiative that trains residents to serve as health navigators to guide people through the health care process. She also mentioned that the top health issues plaguing our community are heart disease, cancer, stroke and unintentional injuries.
Ransom shared an overview of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare’s Healthier 901 campaign, which is tackling Memphis’s high rates of obesity, diabetes and preventable chronic disease.
Ransom stressed the need for simpler messaging.
“We have to listen to people, break it down and meet them where they are,” he said. “Small steps, like losing five pounds or walking 5,000 steps a day, can add up.”
Barriers to access: More than just insurance
Robertson started with a heavy-hitting question about barriers to health care access. Towns highlighted both visible and invisible challenges: transportation, affordability, health literacy and fear — especially historical mistrust rooted in past injustices put upon African Americans, such as the Tuskegee syphilis study.
“We must wrap care around the whole person,” Towns said, pointing to Regional One’s One Health initiative, which connects patients to food pantries, housing support, cancer screening and other wraparound services.
Decolli echoed that point, emphasizing that literacy, not just reading, but understanding food and medical labels, often determines outcomes.
“Preventive care is the hardest nut to crack,” he said. “If we don’t educate people now, 20 years from now, we’ll still be treating complications like amputations from diabetes.”
Mental health: changing the narrative
Mental health was positioned as being just as important as physical health. White, a licensed therapist, said the stigma in communities of color remains a significant obstacle.
“We’ve been conditioned to believe we can pray it away,” White said. “But true healing starts when we say, ‘I’m not okay,’ and recognize that as strength.”
Panelists agreed on the need to lead with cultural humility, invest in therapists of color and bring resources directly to neighborhoods through churches, barbershops and community centers.
Towns added that emotional and behavioral health must be seen as inseparable from physical health. “There’s trauma just in walking into a hospital,” she said. “We have to recognize and respond to that.”
The role of policy and partnerships
Bibbs and others emphasized the role of policy in driving systemic change. Programs such as ShelbyCares and neighborhood-based wellness hubs in areas like Binghampton and Raleigh are designed to bring primary care, coaching and mental health support into underserved areas.
Robertson asked panelists how the health care community could build more sincere partnerships. August White responded, “Early intervention can change someone’s whole life. But we need everyone, from schools to churches to salons, to be part of the network.”
Community questions and call to action
During the Q&A following the panel discussion, community member April Hood shared her story of surviving a hypertensive crisis and finding support at Memphis Health Center.
“They saw me — not as a number, but as a person,” Hood said. She also mentioned still needing mental health support after having received physical health support, and White offered to point her in the right direction.
Another community member asked why police get called when people are having mental health crises. White recommended asking for involvement from Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs), who are trained to de-escalate during mental health emergencies.
The evening closed with reflections on what a healed Memphis might look like.
“Memphis heals,” Bibbs said, “if we remember we’re all connected.”
“Memphis heals,” Towns added, “when our communities are healthy and have real support for economic mobility.”
Key takeaway: Resources are available. Make and attend preventive appointments, not just for physical health but for mental health, and health providers will meet you where you are.
The next TSD in the Community Forum, focusing on education, is scheduled for July 16 in Hickory Hill, District 11.
