Infectious Inadequacy: How Our Current Healthcare System Makes Us All Sick

Rev. Dr. Scott Stearman

May 20, 2021 - 12:00 am

About the Session

Is adequate healthcare a human right? The United Nations’ 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being …, including food, clothing, housing and medical care….”

This expressed right has been adopted in principle, but not in practice in our nation of immense wealth. The need to address the disparities in healthcare access has been highlighted by the COVID pandemic. Structural racism exacerbates a large gap between the rich and poor in the United States.

In this webinar, Scott lead an interactive presentation of the current state of healthcare access, with focus on Mississippi, and presented a case for the ethical imperative to act with expediency. Our health, and statewide hospital infrastructure, are at risk if we don’t act with urgency.

About the Presenter

For three decades Scott Stearman has served as a pastor in the Christian (Baptist) tradition. His experience includes congregations in Paris, France and St. Louis, MO. Most recently he has been pastor in New York City where he continues to represent the Baptist global body at the United Nations (supported by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Baptist World Alliance). He provides leadership to NGO committees related to human rights and the freedom of religion or belief and has been active in civil society advocacy at the High Level Political Forum related to the UN’s Agenda 2030 (the SDGs). Scott holds a Ph.D. in philosophy (Univ. of Oklahoma) and a Th.M. and M.Div (Princeton Theological Seminary and Southwestern Baptist, respectively). He is on the board of Sun River Healthcare of New York, one of the nation’s largest FQHC’s and is a trustee on the board of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Scott now resides in Fondren with his spouse, mezzo-soprano, Cecelia Stearman.