Major Regional Conference to Focus on the Vital Role Fathers Play in Child Development ~ Healthcare Practitioners and Community Leaders Will Convene to Share Cutting Edge Research and Practice from the Emerging Fatherhood Field ~

>TRENTON, N.J., February 21, 2002 -

The vital role that fathers play in child development is often overlooked and underestimated, yet it is critical to a child's successful progress and growth. "Fatherhood 2002: From Research to Practice," a major regional conference designed for healthcare practitioners and community leaders, aims to address important issues surrounding fathers and child development including: the importance of fathers to child development; how fathers can improve their own physical, social, emotional and economic situations for their children's benefit; and how unemployed and incarcerated fathers can be incorporated into family life. Hosted by Union Industrial Home for Children (UIH) and sponsored by Horizon/Mercy, the conference will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Ramada Conference Center in East Windsor, N.J.

"Fathers' physical, emotional, social and economic health affects the overall health of the entire family unit," says Velvet Miller, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Horizon/Mercy, the sponsor of the conference. "Horizon/Mercy strives to help its members attain excellent comprehensive health, and sound childhood development is crucial to this achievement as children grow to adulthood." Dr. Miller will present the conference's keynote address, "Health Disparities and the Business of Managed Healthcare."

Because men's concerns are often omitted from health and human service programs, the vital role that fathers play in child development has been underestimated. The conference will educate social workers and medical practitioners regarding:

• The latest research findings from the fields of medicine and social science on the importance of fathers to child development.
• Health disparities and methods to help fathers navigate the healthcare system.
• Strategies for promoting positive lifestyles that affect the physical, social, emotional, and economic health of fathers and families.
• Practice models that incorporate unemployed, underemployed, and incarcerated fathers into family life.

"This conference is an outgrowth of nearly a decade of advocacy and program development targeted to men," says Zuline Gray Wilkinson, M.S.W., executive director of UIH. "Our presenters will enlighten participants regarding cutting edge research and practice from the emerging fatherhood field, highlighting the important role fathers play in child development."

Conference speakers include medical, psychological and social experts who are instrumental in research and education regarding the vital role that fathers play in child development. In addition to Dr. Miller, they include: Ronald Mincy, Ph.D., Maurice V. Russell Professor, Columbia University School of Social Work (Fragile Families: Definitions, Myths, and Research Findings); Randell Turner, Ph.D., vice president of the National Fatherhood Initiative, Gaithersburg, Md., and founder and co-president of The Fathers Workshop, Inc., Erie, Pa. (Dads Nonetheless: Working with Incarcerated Fathers); Jeffrey Johnson, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the National Center for Strategic Nonprofit Planning and Community Leadership, Washington, D.C. (Practice Approaches for Fragile Families); Vernon Daly, M.D., founder, president, and chief executive officer of the Heureka Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Burlington, N.J. (Health Promotion for Men: How to Deliver the Message); and David Sandman, Ph.D., senior program officer at The Commonwealth Fund, New York City (Male Health: Innovative Models for Practice).

The conference will kick off the evening of Feb. 26 with a Fatherhood Policy Dinner hosted by UIH at which Vivian Gadsden, Ph.D., director of the University of Pennsylvania's National Center on Fathers and Families, will address elected officials, academicians, and community and religious leaders on A "Wholistic Look at Fatherhood Trends: Implications for Public Policy."

Horizon/Mercy, the sponsor of the conference, is New Jersey's largest healthcare management organization serving the publicly insured, providing healthcare services to more than 270,000 people in all 21 New Jersey counties. With headquarters located in Trenton, N.J., the organization is a partnership of Horizon Healthcare of NJ, Inc., a subsidiary of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield (HBCBS), and Mercy Health Plan, a subsidiary of Mercy Health System.