April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM) and this year’s theme is #VaccineReady. This year the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) is focusing on mitigating the disproportionate negative impacts COVID-19 is continuing to have on racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities and underscoring the need for these vulnerable communities to get vaccinated as more vaccines become available.
Throughout the month, OMH invites everyone to join the #VaccineReady campaign to empower vulnerable populations to get the facts about COVID-19 vaccines, share accurate vaccine information, participate in clinical trials, get vaccinated when the time comes and proactively practice COVID-19 safety measures as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Visit the bilingual NMHM website to find downloadable graphics, toolkit materials and more information. Sign up for the National Minority Health Month topic on our email list for updates.
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In March, OMH Think Cultural Health launched the new, free and accredited e-learning program, Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Maternal Health Care.
In alignment with the HHS Action Plan to Improve Maternal Health in America and the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Improve Maternal Health, this e-learning program aims to support the Action Plan’s call for maternal healthcare professionals to deliver services that respect and respond to patients’ culture and language preferences by training them on delivering culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS).
This e-learning program covers:
- Self-awareness of beliefs, bias, and stereotypes
- How and why to get to know a patient’s cultural identity
- Strategies for providing respectful, compassionate, high quality maternal healthcare
Physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and certified midwives can earn up to two continuing education hours upon completion of this free, self-paced program. To learn about the e-learning program, visit the OMH website and use our partner toolkit to help promote the program.
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The first week of April is National Public Health Week (NPHW) and the American Public Health Association (APHA) has announced that this year the theme is “Building Bridges to Better Health,” focusing on bringing together communities across the U.S. to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation and achieving health equity.
During NPHW, each day will focus on a particular health topic, and identify ways in which everyone can make a difference. Topics include rebuilding, advancing racial equity, strengthening communities, taking action for climate justice, constructing COVID-19 resilience, uplifting mental health and wellness, and elevating the essential and health workforce.
For more information on this year’s NPHW daily themes and to access downloadable materials, visit the NPHW 2021 webpage.
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This year, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) is celebrating its fourth annual Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17). Black Maternal Health Week is a time for building awareness, activism, and communities and deepen the conversation about Black maternal health in the U.S. This year’s theme is “Black Mamas Matter: Claiming our Power, Resilience, and Liberation,” and will amplify community-driven policy, research, and care solutions and enhance community organizing on Black maternal health.
Following the observance week, BMMA will host their 2021 Black Maternal Health Conference featuring Black women, clinicians, professionals, advocates, and other stakeholders working to improve maternal health by using birth justice, reproductive justice, and human rights frameworks.
According to the CDC, approximately 700 women die each year in the U.S. as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications. Even more alarming are the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in pregnancy-related deaths. Black women are 2 to 3 times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.
To learn more or to download campaign materials and resources, visit the Black Maternal Health Week website.
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World Immunization Week is celebrated the last week of April and is led by the World Health Organization (WHO). It aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. This year’s theme, “Vaccines bring us closer,” will encourage greater engagement around global immunization to promote the importance of vaccination and highlight how it in brings people together, and improves the health and wellbeing of everyone, everywhere.
Although the world is focused on the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine, there remains a need to ensure routine vaccinations are not missed. Many children have not been vaccinated during the global pandemic, leaving them at risk of serious diseases like measles and polio. This year’s campaign will aim to build solidarity and trust in vaccination as a public good that saves lives and protects health.
For more information about World Immunization Week, please visit the WHO World Immunization Week webpage.
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In recognition of National Minority Health Month: #VaccineReady, the OMH Knowledge Center online catalog has a collection of publications about vaccine hesitancy as it relates to COVID-19 immunizations in minority populations. To read some recent publications on this topic, search the online catalog.
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