October 2008

In this Issue:

New Resources

NEW MEDIA:

The Alliance for Health Care Reform and The Commonwealth Fund co-hosted “Primary Care Innovation: The Patient-Centered Medical Home,” where panelists discussed the potential advantages and disadvantages of medical homes. Medical homes are increasingly seen as a way to combat racial and ethnic disparities in health. To view this podcast, click here.
The Kaiser Family Foundation and Univision Communications Inc. unveiled a series of 12 public service ads, called “Soy,” a Spanish-language media campaign featuring the personal stories of a diverse group of Latinos living with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones. Of the 1.2 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS in America, approximately 200,000 are Latinos. These ads will debut on the Univision television network and radio stations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on October 15, 2008. For more information about these ads, and for information about HIV/AIDS in Spanish, click here.
The National Health Plan Collaborative published an online toolkit of resources, lessons learned, best practices, and case studies to help health plans join the effort to reduce disparities among their enrollees. The resources in this toolkit include health plan case studies; sample tools, forms, and policies related to implementation; videos of experts talking about the importance of reducing disparities and firsthand experiences in developing and implementing interventions; and a compilation of other resources in this field. To use this toolkit, click here.
The Kaiser Family Foundation hosted a briefing, “Hollywood & Health: Health Content in Popular TV,” that looked at the frequency and accuracy of health messages in television shows (such as Grey’s Anatomy) as they pertained to different viewing audiences, including African Americans and Hispanics. One of the study’s findings is that African Americans watch a different mix of shows than general audiences—more comedies, and fewer crime or hospital dramas—which might result in less exposure to health content. To view a webcast of this briefing, click here.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has created an online toolkit, “Speaking Together,” that aims to improve the quality and availability of health care language services for patients with limited English proficiency. To view this toolkit, click here.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced an exciting funding opportunity through “New Connections,” a professional network for diverse researchers. The program is seeking early to mid-career scholars/researchers who are historically underrepresented or underserved racial/ethnic minorities, first-generation college graduations, and/or individuals from low-income communities. New Connections is accepting applications from junior investigators who have completed their doctorate degrees within the last seven years. Proposals are due by November 13, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. EST. For more information and to apply, click here to visit New Connection’s Web site.

PUBLICATIONS:

Families USA released “An Unequal Burden: The True Cost of High-Deductible Health Plans for Communities of Color,” which discusses the reasons why high-deductible health plans are less helpful—or potentially dangerous—for racial and ethnic minorities. To read this issue brief, click here.
Families USA released “Health Coverage in Communities of Color: Talking about the New Census Numbers.” According to Census data, 45.7 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2007, and people of color accounted for more than half of the uninsured. This fact sheet looks at who is uninsured, where people get their health insurance, and why public programs are vital to communities of color. To view this fact sheet, click here.
Health Affairs published “Racial/Ethnic Disparities and Consumer Activation in Health,” which explores whether increasing an individual’s self-management, or “activation levels,” of his or her health and health care, could reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health. The study looks at samples of African Americans and whites separately and concludes that increasing activation holds the potential for reducing racial and ethnic disparities. To read this article, click here.
The Center for American Progress Action Fund published “The McCain Health Care Plan: Leaving Minorities Behind?”, a report that suggests that Senator John McCain’s health care plan would disproportionately harm racial and ethnic minorities. It argues that Senator McCain's plan would make health care less affordable for minorities, cause some minorities with employer-based insurance to lose their coverage, and make health insurance less accessible for minorities with chronic or pre-existing conditions. To read this report, click here.
The American Journal of Public Health published “Persistent Disparities in the Use of Health Care Along the US-Mexico Border: An Ecological Perspective,” which examines health care disparities among residents on the U.S.-Mexico border. The authors conclude that those who are chronically ill, who have immigration documents pending, and/or who are low-income have better health care in the U.S. than in Mexico. To read an abstract of the article, click here.
The National Public Health and Hospital Institute, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital co-published “Assuring Healthcare Equity: A Healthcare Equity Blueprint,” which suggests practices and strategies for addressing health inequalities in individual hospitals. The experts suggest focusing on multiple stakeholders and customized solutions to address each disparity specifically as well as the particular patient populations involved. To view this blueprint, click here.

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Activities in the Field

Kentucky: Center for Health Equity in the Department of Public Health and Wellness

The Kentucky Center for Health Equity (CHE) provides an innovative approach to public health in West Louisville, Kentucky. Led by Dr. Adewale Troutman, who established the center in 2006, CHE is housed within the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness.

The center’s mission statement is to serve as a “catalyst for collaboration between public health, communities and organizations that work to eliminate the social and economic barriers to good health. Through policy change, evidence-based interventions and education, the center builds new coalitions that reshape the public health landscape to assist communities in addressing barriers to health equity.”

The CHE works to address the principal causes of health disparities by supporting projects, policies, and research that are designed to change the association between health, longevity, and socioeconomic status. The CHE believes that solutions to the problem of health care inequalities do not lie in "more pills or magic bullet treatments,” but rather in improved social policies that address the social determinants of health. For example, investing in and improving schools, housing, better jobs and wages, and neighborhoods would result in significantly better health outcomes.

The CHE provides grants to community-based groups, nonprofit organizations, and academic researchers through its "Building Civic Capacity for Policymaking" grant program. These grants enable groups and/or individuals to continue to build strong coalitions while pursuing the common goal of addressing the social and political issues that affect population health outcomes. The center also hosts a speaker series, where experts in the field of social determinants of health help raise awareness and increase dialogue about health inequities. The speakers series is part of a larger effort by the center, called “Health Equity-Civil Equity,” that is a community-wide education and awareness campaign on health equity.

For more information, click here to visit the center’s Web site, or contact them at 502-574-6616.

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Policy Updates

Mental Health Parity Measure Passed as Senate Approves Financial Bailout Legislation

In early October, President Bush signed into law mental health parity legislation. The parity provisions, which were included as part of the financial bailout of Wall Street firms, require health plans to provide the same coverage for mental health care as they do for other medical illnesses, a requirement that most group health plans do not currently meet. For example, health plans will no longer be allowed to limit the number of annual outpatient visits for treatment of mental illness if they do not impose comparable limits on the number of outpatient visits for other medical problems.

This legislation is the result of more than 12 years of advocacy by policy makers and advocates who have been personally affected by mental illness, including the late Senator Paul Wellstone, who had a brother with a severe mental illness. To view the text of this bill click here and search for bill H.R. 1324.

Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act Passes in September

In September, the Senate passed the “Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007,” which had also been passed by the House. The bill requires health plans to provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay of 48 hours for women who’ve had mastectomies, lumpectomies, and other breast cancer treatments. The bill is designed to prevent “drive-through mastectomies” where women are forced to go home within hours of having a mastectomy. This bill is especially important for racial and ethnic minorities, who are disproportionately affected by breast cancer. The legislation is now awaiting the president’s signature. To view the full text of the bill, H.R. 758, click here.

Upcoming Events

Conference: “Health Care Affordability: Improving Care, Cost and Coverage for California”
October 20-22, 2008
J. W. Marriott Resort & Spa, Palm Desert, 74855 Country Club Dr., Palm Desert, CA 92260
Sponsors: California Association of Health Plans
For more information and to R.S.V.P. click here.
National Summit of Clinicians for Healthcare Justice
October 23-24, 2008, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Hilton Washington Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
Sponsors: Migrant Clinicians Network
For more information and to register click here.
National Hispanic Council on Aging 2008 Conference: “Transforming the Future of Aging: Sharing the Best of Us to Empower Hispanic Older Adults and Their Families”
November 4-7, 2008
Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande Boulevard NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
Sponsors: National Hispanic Council on Aging
For more information and to register click here.
Annual Biomedical Conference for Minority Students
November 5-8, 2008
Veracruz Hall, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, 1000 West Buena Vista Drive, Orlando, FL 32830
Sponsor: National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the American Society for Microbiology
To register and for more information click here.
“Beyond Obama: Reflections on Race, Health & Equity After Election 2008” with Ricky Jones, Ph. D.
November 18, 2008, 5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Metro United Way, 334 E. Broadway, # 100, Louisville, KY 40202
Sponsors: Kentucky Center for Health Equity
For more information and to R.S.V.P. click here.
13th Annual Summit of Minority Communities: “Shifting the Focus from Disease to Determinants”
November 19-21, 2008
Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Boulevard, Memphis, TN 38120
Sponsors: Tennessee Department of Health
For more information and to register click here.

We’d like to hear from you!

If you would like to see your organization or event highlighted in a future edition of our newsletter, please send us a brief description of your organization and its activities, as well as your contact information. We also welcome guest authors for the Activities in the Field section of the newsletter. This section provides members of the minority health field with the opportunity to share their experiences and insights with other advocates. Please send all correspondence to: minorityhealth@familiesusa.org.

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