undefeated 't^^^seeBi seeAio see ci on HIV testing 75 cents Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point Vol. XXVIII No. 4 TM&ETnRONlCLE The Choice for African-American News 0 o i ? ?? ^omerence focuses on diversity and health care Speaker tells doctors, others to leant how to become more flexible in dealings with patients BYT. KEVIN WALKER ITHE CHRONICLE As this city and places like it around the nation become more racially diverse, area health-care workers, social workers and non ____________ profit agency employees have to become more flexible in order to pro vide adequate services to the ever-growing minority population. That was the over whelming message of a man who has been dubbed "Mr. Inspira tion" for his uplifting, straightforward motiva tional talks. Evans "We have not been flexible enough in our approach to different people." said Dr. Ted Evans, a Henderson native. "If we are flexible, we will never be bent out of shape." fcvans, a pediatri cian who is the former vice president and cor porate medical director of Cigna Corp.. was the keynote speaker at a day-long conference last Friday at the Rama da Plaza Hotel on Uni versity Parkway. The conference - "Delivering Culturally Competent Health Care and Human Services" - was designed to enlighten and inform. Seminars included ses sions on the history of racism in Forsyth Coun ty: providing equal access to people of color: and the behavioral patterns oi Hispanics and Latinos. The belief among conference organizers is that if health-care providers can gain some insight into the cultures of their patients.- they can understand some of the patterns that may exist in patients that are not of European descent. For instance, studies have shown that some cultures are less likely to take prescribed medi cine regularly. Some health-care providers have viewed this as patients not trying to make them selves healthier. But. in fact, there is a vast belief in some cultures that Western medicine is too potent and may sometimes be more harmful than good. Linda Carter, the executive director of Today's Woman Health and Wellness Center, served as the chairperson for the conference. -SV, Conference on A5 Carter Many Faces u.-fc* ?t ,, ks. Growing up in England, he said. "My grades were very, very low. hut I did not miss any school in England. I went all the way through school. I was a bit slower than other people...so 1 got put to the back of the class. Then, because I got put to the back of the class, the guys who don't want to learn, I got put w ith them." He earned an award for hav ing the best attendance in junior school (for students ages 9 to 13). He missed only four days in four years. In addition to having excel lent attendance, he also was gotxl in sports. "I went all the way through school. until I was 15 1/2." Kidby said. "I'm quite handy with me hands." Kidby said, so after he started working manual jobs, he shied away from jobs or assign ments that involved a lot of read ing. or passed them on to other people to "do the writing and reading." Kidby kept it a secret that he was illiterate. Kidby was the assistant man ager of a bar when he met his future wife. Kendra. a Wake For est University student studying in London, whose class would meet at the bar. The first few times Kidby asked her out. she said no. but then she agreed to go out. "After she moved back here (to the United States), we kept in contact; we wrote. I eventually came ... here (the United States) the first of November 1995....I've been here ever since. We got mar ried on Dec 30. 1995, in Sir Literacy on A10 (336) 722-8634 ? MASTERCARD, VISA AND AMERICAN EXPRESS ACCEPTED ? 9