|
July 2008
In this Issue:
|
Congratulations!
Advocates in Massachusetts, led by the Disparities Action Network (DAN), have secured the inclusion of an Office of Health Equity in the final state budget. The new office will lead and coordinate state agency efforts to eliminate disparities. Stay tuned for an upcoming conference call with DAN leadership and other states about how they were able to create offices of health equity in their states. |
NEW MEDIA:
- The University of Minnesota School of Public Health has created two online training modules that discuss how inequalities in health information contribute to unequal treatment and health outcomes for culturally diverse populations. The modules also make suggestions regarding what communities can do to close this disparities gap and to improve health literacy. For more information and to register for the training, click here.
PUBLICATIONS:
- The National Council of La Raza recently released a report, “A Burden No Child Should Bear: How the Health Coverage System Is Failing Latino Children,” that describes the poor state of health care for Latino children due to a lack of coverage. The author suggests that by improving access to health care, developmental problems can be detected and treated before they become chronic problems that can negatively affect these children’s’ lives, even into adulthood.
- The Georgia Department of Community Health has released a report that discusses health disparities in Georgia at the county level. The report provides data and information for policy makers and community advocates to inform their understanding of health disparities, identify gaps in health status and care, and target interventions to communities most in need. It concludes with recommendations to county officials detailing how they can reduce health disparities for their affected populations. To read the full report, click here.
- The National Latino AIDS Action Agenda Network published “Latino/Hispanic HIV/AIDS Federal Policy Recommendations Addressing the Latino AIDS Crisis.” The report, written in English and Spanish, contains startling statistics on the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Latino/Hispanic community. For example, while Hispanics comprise 15 percent of the U.S. population, they comprise 25 percent of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases. The report also provides key recommendations to policy makers for creating a national plan to reduce health disparities in HIV/AIDS particular to Latinos.
- The Institute of Medicine published “Challenges and Successes in Reducing Health Disparities: Workshop Summary,” which describes the first workshop of the Roundtable on Health Disparities. This working group of health professionals, government officials, foundations, philanthropists, advocacy groups, academics, and community-based organizations focused on understanding health disparities among racially and ethnically diverse groups and, ultimately, developing solutions for ending these disparities.
- A team of authors from The Disparities Solution Center has published “A Plan for Action: Key Perspectives from the Racial/Ethnic Disparities Strategy Forum,” a report that presents highlights from a meeting of 20 experts representing the fields of racial and ethnic health disparities, quality improvement, implementation research, and organizational excellence. As a result of this meeting, forum participants made recommendations on both current efforts to address racial and ethnic disparities in health care and barriers to its progress. To read an abstract of the article, click here.
[Return to top]
Project CHARGE
There are nearly 1 million Asian Pacific Islanders in New York City, and one out of five of them are uninsured. Factors such as lack of health coverage, language barriers, immigration status, and cultural stigmas associated with using public programs have made it difficult for one of the most diverse populations in New York City to obtain affordable health care.
In an effort to address this crisis, a group of organizations has joined together to create Project CHARGE (Coalition of Health Access to Reach Greater Equity), a health advocacy initiative of the organization Coalition for Asian American Children & Families (CACF). Project CHARGE focuses on health care access issues that affect the Asian Pacific Islander community. Through its numerous partnerships, Project CHARGE also works extensively to address social issues that can affect the health of the Asian Pacific Islander community, such as domestic violence, fair housing, and unemployment. CACF is a pan-Asian advocacy organization that strives to improve the health and well-being of Asian Pacific American children and families in New York City. It is one of eight coalitions funded by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation under the Health Through Action national program.
Project CHARGE is working to improve the process of collecting data on health status within the Asian Pacific Islander population. Noilyn Abesamis-Mendoza, CACF Health Policy Manager, admits that, often, the Asian Pacific Islander community is overlooked because their health-related data are often relegated to the “other” category. The coalition believes that improving data collection efforts will strengthen the voice of the Asian Pacific Islander community in the health care debate, particularly in health care reform efforts at the national and local levels.
“In the past, our community tended to focus on disease-specific issues, but now we are looking to make changes within the health care system,” commented Abesamis-Mendoza. Looking at the issue of affordability of health coverage, one of Project CHARGE’s major initiatives includes engaging employers, private insurance companies, public insurance programs, and policy makers to make comprehensive health care readily available to the Asian Pacific Islander community. The coalition promotes policies that will make prescription drugs more affordable, including reducing copayments.
If you have questions or would like more information about Project CHARGE, contact Noilyn Abesamis-Mendoza, CACF Health Policy Manager, at 212-809-4675 or by e-mail at namendoza@cacf.org.
[Return to top]
More Hearings on Minority Health Legislation
In June, the House Committee on Ways and Means Health Subcommittee held a hearing on health disparities. Two weeks later, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing on Congresswoman Hilda Solis’ Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2007 (H.R. 3014). The bill, which is the product of a collaborative effort by the Congressional TriCaucus, is designed to improve the general health of minority and rural populations. The hearing marked the first time in eight years that the Energy and Commerce Committee has held a hearing on health disparities.
For a list of witnesses and their testimonies, as well as a Webcast of the hearing, click here.
Medicare: Congress Overrides the President's Veto
In early July, both the Senate and the House passed the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 6331) by veto-proof majorities. Key provisions of the bill include: stopping payment cuts for physicians, enhancing the low-income subsidy program, and restricting certain marketing activities by Medicare Advantage plans. The legislation also contains provisions that directly address racial and ethnic disparities. For example, the bill directs the HHS Secretary to evaluate and report on data collection on race, ethnicity, and gender by health care providers. This report will include recommendations for improving the identification of health care disparities among Medicare beneficiaries. Another provision of the bill directs the Office of the Inspector General to publish a report that evaluates the level of compliance with Title VI guidelines regarding limited English proficient individuals and CLAS standards for Medicare providers and Medicare plans.
On July 15, the President followed through on his promise to veto the legislation. Later that afternoon, both the House (383-41) and Senate (70-26) overrode the veto by wide margins, which means that the bill is now law.
- Congressional Tri-Caucus Minority Health Summit
July 18–19, 2008
Houston Community College, 3100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002
Sponsors: The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
For more information: Marguerite Ro, 415-568-3312 or click here.
- Health Care Reform and the Elections: Key Issues for Communities of Color
July 18, 2008, 2:00 p.m.
Houston Community College, 3100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002
Sponsors: The National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color and The Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum
For more information and to register: click here, or call Sherice Perry at 202-628-3030.
- America in Transition, A View from California: Implications for Addressing Health Disparities
July 28, 2008, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Center for Healthy Communities, The California Endowment, 1000 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Sponsor: The Institute of Medicine
To register online, click here.
For more information: Thelma Cox at tcox@nas.edu
- National Conference on Latinos and AIDS
July 28-29, 2008
Miami Beach Resort & Spa, 4833 Collins Avenue, Miami, FL 33140
Sponsors: Minorities Healthcare Communications, Inc. and Nurse Practitioner Alternatives, Inc.
For more information and to register, click here.
- Addressing Health Care Disparities: Cultural Competence Faculty Development Program
August 8-9, 2009, 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
3333 California Street, Suite 410, San Francisco, CA 94118
Sponsor: The University of California, San Francisco
For more information, 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.
|
[Return to top] |
