December 2010
In this Issue:
NEW MEDIA:
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:
The National Institute of Health is currently accepting applications for the Community-Based Partnerships for Childhood Obesity Prevention and Control Program. This grant program aims to enhance childhood obesity research by bringing together policy makers and other stakeholders to identify research questions, design research projects, and translate research into policy goals. The grant will award funding of up to $50,000 per year for a maximum of two years. The deadline for this grant opportunity is May 7, 2012. For more information, click here.
The National Institute of Health is also accepting applications for the Health Promotion among Racial and Ethnic Minority Males Research Project. Recipients of this award are expected to conduct research to enhance understanding of how numerous factors (e.g., socioeconomic, community, societal, personal) influence health behaviors of racial and ethnic minority males. The grant recipient will also be encouraged to develop and test culturally and linguistically appropriate health-promoting interventions designed to reduce health disparities among racially and ethnically diverse males age 21 and older. The deadline for applying to this grant is September 7, 2013. For more information, click here.
PUBLICATIONS:
- The Urban Institute recently published America under the Affordable Care Act. This report presents a hypothetical of how health reform would impact consumers if the whole law were to have been implemented in 2010. It estimates how health reform would affect the type of coverage people have and the overall health care spending if the law were fully implemented in 2010. The findings stress the number of people gaining insurance through the expansion of Medicaid and through the health insurance exchange.
- The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation developed Understanding Health Reform: A Community Guide for African Americans. This resource was designed to show African Americans what provisions in the law are likely to have the greatest impact on their health. It also details ways to continue to advocate for resources to improve the health status of communities. The guide provides information about the health coverage expansion, the consumer protections against abusive health insurance practices, and prevention and wellness initiatives in the law that will help communities become healthier.
- The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved released Service Provider Perceptions of Long-Term Care Access in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. The report highlights the need for long-term care services for American Indians and Alaska Natives, who experience some of the highest rates of chronic disease and disability in the United States. This study gauges the interest of American Indians and Alaska Natives in acquiring long-term care services and analyzes key barriers, such as funding, that may prevent access.
- The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved released Priorities of Low-Income Urban Residents for Interventions to Address the Socio-Economic Determinants of Health. In this study, researchers selected 16 interventions that addressed various socioeconomic determinants of health, such as health care, housing, and employment. Using a sample group, participants were asked to prioritize these interventions. The study results indicated that low-income residents’ priorities may usefully inform allocation of social services that affect health.
- The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved recently published Methodological Issues in the Collection, Analysis, and Reporting of Granular Data in Asian American Populations: Historical Challenges and Potential Solutions. Although Asian Americans are one of the fastest-growing populations in the United States, there is a lack of knowledge related to the health needs of this population. The report examines the shortage of health data on Asian Americans by ethnic subgroups, primary language, and geography. The article also presents challenges and potential solutions to addressing the collection, analysis, and reporting data on Asian Americans.
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Action Alerts
Comments Solicited for CLAS Standards
The HHS Office of Minority Health is seeking public input from individuals and professional communities across the country for the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards Enhancement Initiative—an effort to make improvements to the current National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care, first released in 2000. For more information or to provide comments by December 31, visit the CLAS website.
Updates from the Department of Health and Human Services
HHS Announces New Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Agenda, “Healthy People 2020”
HHS unveiled Healthy People 2020, the nation’s new set of goals and objectives for health promotion and disease prevention over the next 10 years. This nationwide initiative promotes a longer lifespan free of preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death. To achieve this goal, Healthy People 2020 will focus on eliminating health disparities by working to create better social and physical environments throughout the country. For more information about Healthy People 2020, please click here.
$8 Million in Affordable Care Act Funds Development and Modernization of Community Health Centers
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at HHS announced that they will be awarding nearly $8 million to existing Community Health Center Cooperative Agreements, or organizations that help community health centers perform the best they can. These organizations will provide additional training and technical assistance on a national, regional, and state basis to community-based organizations that support community health centers. They use training and technical assistance funds to facilitate the following core functions related to supporting health centers: community development, expansion planning, patient-centered medical home development, health information technology adoption, and workforce development. To see a list of awardees, click here.
HHS Announces Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC) Members
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the individuals who will serve on the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee. The Tribal Advisory Committee will work with HHS to build healthier communities in Indian Country by creating a coordinated strategy to incorporate tribal guidance on HHS priorities, policies, and budget. The Committee includes one primary representative from each of the 12 regions that the Indian Health Service (IHS) covers, as well as five at-large national representatives. The committee’s first meeting will take place December 13-14, 2010. For more information about the Tribal Advisory Committee, click here.
People of Color Health Equity Collaborative
Ron Williams, executive director of Oregon Action, and other community leaders saw that minority health was an issue that was often overlooked in Oregon, so they worked together to take action. These leaders understood two things: (1) to eliminate health disparities, social determinants of health must be addressed and (2) in order to heighten interest of health equity problems, they would have to form a coalition.
A local foundation provided funding and several organizations worked diligently to get the state legislature interested in health equity issues. Seeing that interest had been generated, Oregon Action joined 14 other organizations to form the People of Color Health Equity Collaborative to create a long-term presence for minority health advocacy. A tremendous victory for this new group was getting the Oregon Health Board, the group responsible for implementing health reform in the state, to use a health disparities grid that shows possible health equity implications when instituting policies. The health board now uses this health equity grid to measure potential policies compliance with the board’s aim to eliminate health disparities.
After successfully giving a voice to this issue, other foundations became interested in hearing about the work that these groups were doing together to address health disparities. These groups began to contribute money to advance the Collaborative’s work. Thus, the coalition developed goals to address social determinants of health. As Ron Williams said, “We must show how other inequities link to health inequities.” As a result, two major aspects of the Collaborative’s agenda became job creation and the inclusion of minority voices in health reform. For example, minority-owned businesses find it difficult to acquire loans, so the Collaborative’s solution was suggesting the creation of a state bank that works with many small businesses to give them loans. In turn, small businesses will provide more employment opportunities that will hopefully stimulate the state’s economy and allow financial resources to be dedicated to creating environments that promote healthy lifestyles. In addition, talking about minority-owned businesses from an economic standpoint allows members of the coalition to mention the small business tax credits and the other benefits of health reform.
The Collaborative also advocates for undocumented immigrants’ inclusion in the state exchanges and advocates that all health care workers enter cultural competency training. By connecting the economic argument to the health care argument, the People of Color Health Equity Collaborative hopes to make health equity an easy, common discussion in Oregon.
Advocates in other states can learn from what the People of Color Health Equity Collaborative has figured out during this process—tackling health disparities requires a comprehensive plan. This coalition has created a model for other states to follow to facilitate a broader discussion about health disparities. For more information about the Collaborative, contact Ron Williams at ron@oregonaction.org.
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- Health Action 2011
January 27-29, 2011
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
Sponsor: Families USA
For more information and to register, click here.
- F is Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future
January 26, 2011
2168 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20003
Sponsor: Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For more information and to register, contact Jackie Britz at jbritz@tfah.org.
- Transforming Health through the Patient Experience
January 27-28, 2011
Beverly Garland Hotel, 4222 Vineland Ave., Hollywood, CA 91602
Sponsor: California Healthcare Foundation
For more information and to register, click here.
Requests for Local Publications
Here
at Families USA, we believe that public education is essential to
gaining support for health reform. We are asking that you help us in our
efforts to educate the public about the benefits of the Affordable Care
Act by informing us of local, state, and even national newspapers that
serve your community. We are especially interested in outlets that reach
various racial and ethnic groups and senior citizens. If you have any
questions or would like to submit publications, please contact the
Minority Health Initiatives Department here at Families USA at minorityhealth@familiesusa.org.
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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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