From the Office of Minority Health Resource Center
May 14, 2013

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the enhanced National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards April 24 in Washington, D.C., updating guidelines that were previously released by the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) in 2000. The National CLAS Standards provide a blueprint to help organizations reduce disparities and improve health care quality, while serving our nation's diverse communities.

Read the full story | View the press release | See Dr. J. Nadine Gracia's blog post

More Resources:

• Download the enhanced National CLAS Standards and The Blueprint
• Watch video from the April 24 launch event
• View the National CLAS Standards fact sheet
• Access Culturally Competent, Continuing Education Units for Health Professionals
• See the resource list from OMHRC Information Services
• Use this state-by-state map to see who's legislating CLAS
• Read Richard Umbdenstock's blog on the Equity of Care website

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced its national compliance review initiative, "Advancing Effective Communication in Critical Access Hospitals," to support language access programs in these hospitals. In concert with the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, this initiative will ensure that language access is provided so that individuals who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, speak, write or understand English or are limited English proficient (LEP) can participate in, and benefit from, quality health care services. Read the bulletin [PDF | 252KB].

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the availability of new funding to support Navigators in Federally-facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces. Navigators are individuals and entities that will provide unbiased information to consumers about health insurance, the new Health Insurance Marketplace, qualified health plans, and public programs, including Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. To access the funding opportunity announcement, visit: http://www.grants.gov, and search for CFDA # 93.750

The Office of Minority Health is seeking nominations for qualified candidates to be considered for appointment as voting members of the Advisory Committee on Minority Health. The Committee provides advice to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, with a focus on improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations and the development of goals and program activities. The nominations must be received by OMH by Friday, May 31 at 5 pm ET.

View the Federal Register Notice | Learn more about the Advisory Committee on Minority Health

States and U.S. territories are invited to apply for funds through the Office of Minority Health's State Partnership Program. The program seeks to demonstrate how strategic partnerships can improve the health status of minority populations. OMH offers grants of up to $150,000 for efforts that:

• address data needs regarding health disparities;
• develop partnerships and systems to improve access to health care;
• implement targeted health-issue interventions that promote science-based health promotion and disease prevention research;
• advance strategic plans and policies; or
• support state-level health practices.

Apply online at grants.gov by Tuesday, May 28.

The FDA's new Patient Network website gives patients and advocates a bigger voice in medical product regulation, which includes drugs, devices and biologics. Designed as a key education and communication tool between the FDA and the public, the site features patient-friendly information on drug and device development and approval, clinical trials, latest treatment options, important safety information and more. It also connects members of the public to the Patient Representative Program, where they can apply to sit on official FDA Advisory Committees and act as consultants during the drug and device review processes. For more information, visit the FDA Patient Network website. Read the blog by Margaret Hamburg.

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics documents a 12 percent decline in the infant mortality rate in the U.S. from 2005 through 2011, following a plateau from 2000 through 2005. Recent Declines in Infant Mortality in the United States, 2005-2011 [PDF | 770KB] is based on information from death certificates filed in state vital statistics offices and subsequently compiled into national data and included in the National Vital Statistics System. According to the report, infant mortality declined from 2005 through 2011 for all major racial and ethnic groups, with the most rapid decline among black women (16 percent); the decline was 12 percent for white women and 9 percent for Latinas. For additional information, visit www.cdc.gov/nchs.

Research by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (NAHH) found that more than half of Hispanic consumers are not aware of the health risks associated with taking too much acetaminophen, and do not check medicine labels to see if their medicine contains acetaminophen. NAHH and the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition's Know Your Dose Campaign have joined together to launch new web-based resources and educational materials in Spanish about safe acetaminophen use. Visit KnowYourDose.org to order free, patient educational materials in English and Spanish. The site includes a Spanish-language section with a medicine-label reader guide, answers to frequently asked questions and an animated video on safe use of medicines containing acetaminophen, produced by the NAHH. Patients can call the toll-free Su Familia Helpline at 1-866-783-2645 for answers to questions about safe acetaminophen use and referrals to health resources in their communities. Learn more .

The Lupus Initiative, a program led by the American College of Rheumatology, has developed a variety of free online tools and resources for medical professionals, educators and students. Designed to increase recognition and understanding of lupus, the tools will aid medical professionals across disciplines in the early and accurate diagnosis of the disease, the effective treatment and management of patients with lupus and the provision of culturally competent and patient-centered care. The materials were developed and tested by experts from across medical specialties, as well as leaders in public health, academia and research, and include presentation slides, case studies, a video reference library, continuing education courses and educational materials that medical professionals can use with their patients. For more information about these tools and resources, visit The Lupus Initiative site.

Translations of The Health Care Law and You, developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to educate community members about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, are now available in 10 Asian and Asian Pacific languages. This resource has been translated by the Office of Public Engagement at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services into the following languages: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Hindi, Bengali, Hmong, Khmer, Laotian, Samoan and Tongan. Webinars that delve deeper into these materials will take place in late May. New in-language materials and resources about the health reform law will continue to be added to the site throughout the coming months. Find in-language resources .

For the 10th year in a row, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has produced the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) and the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR). These reports measure trends in effectiveness of care, patient safety, timeliness of care, patient centeredness, and efficiency of care. The reports present, in chart form, the latest available findings on quality of and access to health care. Access the latest reports.

The Knowledge Center at the Office of Minority Health Resource Center is the largest repository of health disparities information in the world, with a collection of 10,000 documents, reports, books, journals and media, and more than 30,000 articles related to the health status of racial and ethnic minority populations. The library collection also includes sources of consumer health material in more than 35 languages.

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