James A. Forde

The San Diego Black Health Associates, Inc. was formed by African American health care professionals in 1978. One of its founders, and its first President, James Forde, later was selected as the first African American Director of Health in the County of San Diego. The organization originally planned to be a chapter of the National Association of Health Service Executives, but decided that to respond to the challenges of improving the poor health status of African Americans in San Diego and California, a local concentration was needed. The statewide focus was spurred by the formation of a coalition of local organizations that included SDBHA and similar organizations in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Thus, SDBHA, the Los Angeles Black Health Leadership Council, and the Bay Area Consortium for Quality Health Care became the founding entities of the California Black Health Network.

Thirty years later, despite advances made in health technology, health education and medicines, African Americans in San Diego continue to suffer from high rates of illness. Prominent among these problems are hypertension, heart disease, cancer, drug addiction, low birth weight for newborns, and high infant mortality.

Missions and Goals

The mission of the SDBHA is to enhance the health status of African Americans in San Diego County. Toward this end, the goals of the organization include:

• Organize human resources to promote wellness and health within our communities

• Provide a forum to examine factors and forces that influence the health status of African Americans

• Design and promote public policies that address barriers to access for direct service programs for the target community

• Develop programs that provide information, activity and motivation to improve the health status of African Americans in San Diego County

• Promote opportunities for professional growth and development of our members

• Demonstrate support for successful programs that clearly demonstrate improvements in the health status of our communities

• Serve as a clearinghouse for documenting health status information for African Americans in San Diego