Office of Minority Health

With grant funding from OMH, the Fairfax County Health Department’s Stronger2 Public Health Youth Ambassador (PHYA) Program is increasing health literacy among high school students by training them as community health workers. Doing so empowers the students to be trusted messengers of health information in their families and communities and enhances local public health workforce development pathways among students of color.

Language access services, like translation of materials and interpretation, are an important tool for addressing disparities and advancing health equity. The HHS Office of Minority Health is committed to supporting meaningful access to its programs and to building capacity among health organizations to enhance the availability and quality of language access services

Health literacy is key to meeting the health needs of high need communities. HRSA’s Office of Health Equity provides tailored training to health care professionals so that they can identify the specific health literacy levels of their patients and make simple changes that can generate significant improvements.

The CDC’s Office of Health Equity (OHE) is celebrating 35 years of “baking” health equity into the work we do. “Baking” health equity into our work means that health equity principles are foundational ingredients, rather than separate ingredients we layer in, sprinkle on top, or serve on the side.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) strives to embody this year’s National Minority Health Month theme, “Better Health Through Better Understanding,” not only in April but all year long, through initiatives like Coverage to Care (C2C) and the CMS Framework for Health Equity 2022-2032.

As the FDA observes National Minority Health Month this April, we are highlighting the Enhance EQUITY Initiative to raise awareness on the importance of improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations and reducing health disparities. This year’s theme, “Better Health Through Better Understanding,” supports OMHHE’s mission to promote and protect the health of diverse populations through research and communication of science that addresses health disparities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been waning over the past several months; however, its impact on the way we approach public health, deliver care, and disseminate information continues to be felt across the country. This is especially true for racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of health literacy as a tool for understanding public health measures and driving steps to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. Health Literacy Month, observed every October, gives us a chance to recognize the organizations and initiatives working to improve health outcomes by addressing personal and organizational health literacy.

Every year, the United States recognizes National Hispanic Heritage Month (NHHM) from September 15 to October 15, to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of generations of Hispanic Americans born in and outside the U.S. who have helped to shape this diverse country. The theme for this year’s NHHM is Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation. In Hispanic culture, unidos (in unity, with inclusivity) is associated with positive outcomes. Being unidos is necessary for getting through tough times, for meeting goals and getting things done together.

Denise Octavia Smith, MBA, CHW, PN, is the founding Executive Director of the National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW). In September 2020, Mrs. Smith joined the Office of Minority Health (OMH) for a virtual symposium highlighting state, tribal, territorial, and community-based efforts to address COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

Darielys Cordero, MPH, DrPh is the Special Programs Director at Puerto Rico Primary Healthcare Association (La Asociación de Salud Primaria de Puerto Rico). In September 2020, Dr. Cordero joined the Office of Minority Health (OMH) for a virtual symposium highlighting state, tribal, territorial, and community-based efforts to address COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

Sandra C. Brown, DNS, APRN is Dean and Professor at the College of Nursing and Allied Health, Southern University and A&M Baton Rouge and co-chairs the Louisiana COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. In September 2020, Dr. Brown joined the Office of Minority Health (OMH) for a virtual symposium highlighting state, tribal, territorial, and community-based efforts to address COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

Sudarshan Pyakurel, M.A., is the Executive Director of Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio (BCCO), and a community leader and advocate for social justice. In September 2020, Mr. Pyakurel joined the Office of Minority Health (OMH) for a virtual symposium highlighting state, tribal, territorial, and community-based efforts to address COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

In September 2020, Matías Valenzuela, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Equity and Community Partnerships for Public Health in Seattle & King County and the Director of COVID-19 Community Mitigation and Recovery, joined the Office of Minority Health (OMH) for a virtual symposium highlighting state, tribal, territorial, and community-based efforts to address COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

With the COVID-19 vaccine becoming available during the past year, many of us, especially parents, were hopeful that we were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and would be able to begin the school year with the pandemic in the rearview mirror. However, the surge of COVID-19 cases in children and adolescents has intensified concern among parents and public health leaders alike. And as the pandemic continues, so do existing health disparities and inequalities.

During public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, racial and ethnic minority groups disproportionately experience adverse outcomes like high hospitalization and mortality rates as a result of a variety of factors, including social determinants of health (SDOH).

Growing up in Tonga, it was all but impossible not to recognize a lack of access to education, health, and economic opportunities within my Pacific Islander family and community. These experiences have inspired me to support and promote health equity in vulnerable groups as part of my professional career and personal interests.

Each year in the U.S., approximately 700 women die from pregnancy-related complications and more than 25,000 women suffer unintended outcomes of labor and delivery that can result in significant short- or long-term consequences to their health. Black women in the U.S. are three to four times more likely than white women to die in pregnancy or childbirth. American Indian/Alaska Native women are two to three times more likely to die. More women of color than white women report feeling mistreated, ignored, or dismissed by their maternal health providers.

Maybe you’ve seen the videos on social media. A 52-year-old Chinese American woman assaulted in New York City. An 84-year-old Thai American man pushed to the ground so violently in San Francisco that he dies from his injuries. Both incidents in recent weeks are part of an alarming increase of attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in the United States since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

NIMHD champions workforce diversity. As we celebrate Native American Heritage Month this year, we are recognizing the First American researchers in fields of minority health and health disparities, whose career trajectories have been shaped by the NIMHD-sponsored Loan Repayment Program (LRP) and subsequent research program grants. Meet Teresa Brockie, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN.

In May 2020, I found myself back within the four sacred mountains.  In the Navajo language, this place is called Dinétah which translates to "among the Navajo." 

HHS and Howard are hosting the September Health+ Sickle Cell Disease Healthathon to foster innovative and data driven solutions for sickle cell disease care.

Vaccinations are more important than ever this year because of the disrupting impact that COVID-19 has had on the nation’s routinely recommended vaccination schedule. As we recognize National Immunization Awareness Month in August, protecting individuals and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) is vital to keeping children healthy, preventing VPD outbreaks, and reducing the burden of infectious diseases. Healthcare providers are key to this by emphasizing the importance of immunizations when communicating with your patients’ parents and caregivers, as well as by bringing your patients up-to-date on all their routinely recommended vaccinations. Together we can catch up to get ahead on immunizations.

On August 18, ODPHP released Healthy People 2030 — the fifth iteration of the Healthy People initiative. Building on knowledge gained over the past 4 decades, Healthy People 2030 sets national objectives to address the nation’s most critical public health priorities.

In line with continued federal efforts to promote health equity, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) has released an updated version of the Compendium of Federal Datasets Addressing Health Disparities, which is available at the HHS Office of Minority Health website.

My late grandma, Virginia Feather Revas, was a Cherokee Nation citizen, a fluent speaker of ᏣᎳᎽᎦᎧᏂᎯᏍᏗ (Cherokee language), and a Community Health Representative (CHR) for our tribe.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ensuring one’s physical health became the priority. As the toll of social distancing and prolonged stay-in-place orders have shown, the importance of addressing mental health and well-being is integral to our COVID-19 response for all, but particularly for people of color. Minority communities across the nation have experienced greater rates of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths. As we think about health disparities and racial inequity, we must do better to address minority mental health as well.

Lack of access to testing, fear of being profiled while wearing face masks, and other issues are increasing toxic stress and straining mental health in communities of color. Learn what one leader is doing about it.

National Men’s Health Week is observed every year beginning the week leading up to Father’s Day, with this year’s observance occurring June 15-21.

Office of the CTO is partnering with OASH to host a webinar on June 24th to identify data resources to help improve the quality of life for SCD patients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working around the clock with our U.S. government partners, medical product manufacturers and international partners to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As the FDA remains steadfast in our urgent response efforts to the pandemic for all Americans, including the nation’s most vulnerable communities, I would be remiss not to pause for a moment to mark the importance

We are all doing our part to help slow the spread during the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical distancing is important to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but it is equally important that you monitor your health and know when to seek emergency medical care for serious symptoms that are not related to COVID-19.

Too many adults are inactive, and inactivity levels differ notably by race and ethnicity. These facts make me all the more committed to the success of Active People, Healthy Nation, CDC’s new initiative to make it easier for people to be physically active where they live, learn, work and play.

Today, March 10th, we observe National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The theme this year is HIV Prevention Starts with Me: Ending the HIV Epidemic Together.

Each year in the United States, hundreds of babies are born with sickle cell disease (SCD), joining the nearly 100,000 American who already live with this disease. As pediatricians, we understand the challenges parents and caregivers face when attempting to secure the best and most effective care for their children. Unfortunately, when children living with sickle cell disease become adolescents and young adults, it can become even more difficult to navigate management and treatment options as health complications including pain crises often grow more intense and frequent. The poor adherence to treatment guidelines, lack of innovation, gaps in the delivery system, and underlying discrimination also add additional hurdles that make it difficult for people living with this disease to live a normal, high quality life.

Imagine a place where you can feel happiness buzzing in the air, where children are at the center of a mini-universe, and all around them are four generations of family, overflowing with pride and affection. It’s a place where special people donate their time in a way that enriches their own lives as much as the children they serve. Most importantly, it is a place where Zuni culture, wisdom, and heritage are at the center.

World AIDS Day (December 1) is a time to remember those we've lost to HIV/AIDS, celebrate our successes in saving and improving the lives of people living with HIV, and renew our commitment to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States and around the world.

At the Cherokee Nation and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), an active and healthy lifestyle is at the center of one of our most important programs that helps connect today’s young people to their heritage. The Remember the Removal (RTR) Bike Ride program offers EBCI members a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to retrace one of the original Trail of Tears Removal Routes. The bike ride program commemorates the forced removal of the Cherokee people from their eastern homelands as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Started in 1984 by the Cherokee Nation, the original RTR Ride was made up of 20 students and their support staff. It became an annual event starting in 2009, with the Eastern Band joining in 2011 and it has continued to grow into the program it is today.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is fortunate to have an active health literacy workgroup that represents over a dozen agencies. Its mission is to advance health literacy across our department.

A genetic mutation that is believed to have occurred 7,300 years ago continues to kill thousands of persons every year in Africa. 

As a medical provider for adolescents, I routinely encourage families to have their adolescents receive the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Immunizations, for HPV and other infectious diseases, save millions of lives and are widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective health interventions.

The suicide rate among African American children aged 5 to 11 years has increased substantially since 1993 and is persisting, according to Dr. Jeffrey Bridge, a leading researcher at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

I was excited to announce at today’s Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS meeting in Jackson, Miss., that my office – the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) – is standing up a new team of highly qualified U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHS) officers to support our regional “Ending the HIV Epidemic” initiatives in Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles.

Today on National HIV Testing Day, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) emphasizes the importance of getting tested for HIV, knowing your HIV status, and connecting to HIV care and treatment if you test positive. This year’s federal theme, “Doing It My Way,” sheds light on how taking an HIV test can be an empowering experience while also recognizing that you can do it in your own way. Whichever way you do it, this National HIV Testing Day, HRSA encourages those at risk to get tested for HIV.

On World Sickle Cell Day, HHS reflects on the work being done at the Department, across the country, and worldwide to cure Sickle Cell disease within 10 years.

The benefits of regular physical activity occur throughout life and are essential for healthy aging. However, many older adults are not getting enough activity. In fact, research shows older adults are the least active age group. The great news is that it is never too late to start being active!

When I was a kid, every Saturday my parents would pack my older sister, younger brother, and me into the family station wagon, and we’d drive 40 minutes on Route 2 East from Boston’s western suburbs into Chinatown.

As National Minority Health Month enters its last week, it has been inspiring to experience and learn about the events and activities taking place across the nation in support of minority health.

In 1976 President Gerald Ford honored the contributions of black Americans by issuing a proclamation that officially marked February as African American History Month.  This proclamation continued to be issued by every president that followed. For the 2019 celebration, SAMHSA recognizes three leaders who have had significant impact on the mental health of their communities and beyond and have been important contributors to SAMHSA's efforts to advance behavioral health equity for African Americans.