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July 2016
 July is National Minority Mental Health Awarness Month. Learn how you can get involved.
 In honor of our 30th anniversary, the HHS Office of Minority Health has launched a new digital storytelling project to highlight powerful and inspiring stories of advancing health equity from across the nation.
Health Equity Change Makers illustrates the far-reaching impact of health disparities, and the ways that we all, as individuals, in our families and communities, and as a nation, are making change happen every day.
Visit the Health Equity Change Makers website to learn more, share your own stories of change and get ideas for accelerating health equity in your own community!
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 Margot, who lost
her young daughter, channeled her frustration and grief into a platform to help other
HIV positive women. Hear her story.
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 Elk helps youth of
the Northern Arapaho tribe find their voice and end the epidemics of suicide
and substance abuse that threaten their well-being. Hear his story.
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 Maria
was inspired to become a promotora
to help members of her community get information and support they need to cope
with chronic illnesses. Hear her story.
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 PATHWAY is a unique program that is
helping young men at-risk forge a new path for their future. Hear the story.
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 Kiki is carrying on a legacy of
women leading change to help all women in Chuuk, Micronesia, achieve their best
health and well-being. Read her story.
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 Brenda became an
advocate for ending lupus disparities after nearly losing her daughter to the
disease. Hear her story.
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The HHS Office of Minority Health has announced the grantee awards for the FY 2016 funding opportunity announcements. These awards will address disparities in lupus, and support positive mental health and well-being among at-risk youth exposed to childhood trauma.
National Health Education Lupus Program (NHELP) grants will support efforts to reduce lupus-related health disparities among racial and ethnic minority and/or disadvantaged populations. Grantees include:
Priority A Grantees
American College of Rheumatology
Atlanta, GA
$335,000
Association of
State and Territorial Directors of Health Promotion and Public Health
Education
Washington, DC
$329,946
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
Washington, DC
$334,905
Priority B Grantee
Lupus Foundation of
America
Washington, DC
$997,962
Communities
Addressing Childhood Trauma (ACT) grants will test the effectiveness of
innovative approaches to promoting healthy behaviors among minority and/or
disadvantaged youth who are at risk for poor health and life outcomes due to
childhood trauma. Grantees include:
Children’s Hospital Medical
Center
Cincinnati, OH
$393,900
Children’s Institute, Inc.
Los Angeles, CA
$400,000
Clayton County Juvenile Justice
Fund, Inc.
Jonesboro, GA
$400,000
Memorial
Hospital of South Bend
South Bend, IN
$398,801
South Bay Community Services
Chula Vista, CA
$400,000
The
Village for Families & Children
Hartford, CT
$399,568
Valle
del Sol, Inc.
Phoenix, AZ
$400,000
Mental illness
affects one in five adults and one in 10 children in America. It is a leading
cause of disability, yet nearly two-thirds of people with a diagnosable mental
illness do not seek treatment. Members of racial
and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. may be even less likely to get help.
Throughout
July, help raise awareness about disparities in
mental health access, treatment and outcomes. Encourage your family, friends,
community and colleagues to learn more about improving mental health for all
Americans.
Save the Date!
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month Twitter chat
July 27 at 2 pm ET
Hepatitis and HIV co-infection is a major concern among many racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. Prevention and education efforts are hindered by many challenges, including stigma, language barriers, cultural competency and knowledge among providers, and access to services in hard-to-reach communities.
The Office of Minority Health Resource Center kicked off a five-part webinar series designed to help health professionals, agencies and clinics get past these challenges and address the rising rates of hepatitis and HIV co-infection in their communities.
Upcoming webinars:
July 20: Strategies to Address Hep C in African American Communities
This webinar will address Hepatitis C in African American communities, epidemiology and strategies to increase awareness and engagement. Register for this webinar.
August 18: BEAT IT! Becoming Empowered Africans Through Improved Treatment of Hep B and HIV/AIDS
This webinar will feature the successful BEAT IT! education and outreach program, and its strategies for empowering African immigrants to get involved their own treatment. Register for this webinar.
Sign up to be notified via email of dates and agendas for all webinars in this series.
The American Indian and Alaska Native Health Research Advisory Council (HRAC) addresses health disparities in Indian Country by supporting collaborative research efforts between HHS and tribal partners. The HHS Office of Minority Health is currently recruiting to fill several vacancies of delegates and alternates on the council including: Albuquerque Area; Billings Area; California Area; Great Plains Area; Navajo Area; Oklahoma City Area; Phoenix Area; Portland Area; Tucson Area; and National At-Large. Delegates and alternates must be elected tribal representatives or appointed tribal officials and be nominated by a tribal leader.
Nominations are due by July 15, 2016. Learn more about joining the council, including eligibility, selection process and how to nominate a candidate.
The National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (the NPA) was established to mobilize a nationwide, comprehensive, community-driven and sustained approach to combating health disparities and to move the nation toward achieving health equity. Through its regional entities - Regional Health Equity Councils (RHECs) - the NPA advances the agenda to eliminate health disparities from the grassroots.
The RHEC's ongoing webinar series continues this month with two new sessions:
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July 21: Equity and Empowerment Lens: A Tool to Create Equitable Policies and Programs. Application of the equity lens ensures that policies impact community outcomes, and it creates the environment for candid dialogue about the root causes of inequities.This webinar will introduce practitioners interested in the lens and discuss the application and outcomes of this analysis in their work. Register for the webinar.
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July 28: The (SHEC) Cultural Competency Resource Guide. This webinar will focus on cultural competency in Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities, and the work of the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc. in Georgia. Register for the webinar.
Learn more about the NPA.
 Promoting Stress Management for Pregnant Women
New fact sheet for providers from the Office of the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
English version (PDF) | Spanish version (PDF)
Zika Toolkit Webinar for Health Care Providers
For Title X-funded grantees and other health care providers that care for women and men of reproductive age
July 13 at 1 pm EDT
Register for the webinar
Visit our Zika resource
pages in English and Spanish for:
- Information about who’s at risk
- Links to maps and surveillance data
- Resources for health care professionals
- Multi-lingual materials
Diversity in clinical trials is an important issue, as minorities sometimes respond differently to medical products. Race and ethnicity could affect the dose a person needs, or something even more serious. But racial and ethnic minorities are not well represented in clinical trials, and that means health disparities may continue to exist.
The FDA Office of Minority Health has released six new public service announcements, a blog and an infographic that can be used to encourage minorities to join clinical trials. Visit the Clinical Trial Diversity Stakeholder Communications Toolkit on the FDA OMH website. For additional information about this initiative, contact Jovonni Spinner at FDA OMH.
On March 31, 2016, about 11.1
million consumers had effectuated Health Insurance Marketplace coverage – which
means those individuals, paid their premiums and had an active policy as of
that date. HHS continues to project
effectuated enrollment of about 10 million people for the end of 2016. Read the press release.
Survival rates for women with breast cancer
have been steadily improving over the past several decades. However, these
improvements have not been shared equally; black women are more likely to die
of their disease. This
collaborative research project, launched last week, will identify genetic
factors that may underlie breast cancer disparities. The effort is funded by
the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health.
View
the full press release.
Did
you know that there are two new national recommendations on screening and
counseling for domestic violence in the healthcare setting? Both the U.S.
Preventive Services Task Force and the Institute of Medicine recommend that
clinicians screen all women for intimate partner violence (IPV). The 2010
Affordable Care Act now requires coverage of screening and brief counseling for
IPV by most private health insurance plans.
In
response to these policies, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office on Women's Health (OWH) has developed an e-learning course that uses an
electronic online media platform for slide presentations and videos to educate
and train health care providers on how to address IPV. OWH
is inviting you to participate in the piloting and evaluation of this important
course. You will receive CMEs/CEUs credits after you complete two
course modules and participate in the evaluation.
To learn more: http://ipvandhealthproviders.networkofcare4elearning.org/.
The deadline to sign-up for this
opportunity is Sunday, July 24, 2016.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. People of any race or ethnicity can get skin cancer and people with lighter skin are at higher risk. More than 65,000 melanoma skin cancers were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2011. UV exposure causes more than 90 percent of melanomas in the U.S. Tans and sunburns are the body’s response to damage from UV exposure. Everyone can protect themselves and their families by:
- Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and protective clothing outdoors.
- Finding shade, especially during midday hours.
- Using broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher, even on cloudy days. Avoid sunbathing and indoor tanning.
For more information: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/index.htm.
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