The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) has been focusing on improving health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN communities through its 2024 theme, Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections, which calls on each of us to understand how the unique environments, cultures, histories, and circumstances (known as social determinants of health, or SDOH) impact our overall health.  

Understanding and communicating about health equity concepts can be challenging but is important if we want to create a world where everyone has the same opportunity to be healthy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office of Health Equity (OHE) developed this Health Equity Video Series to help people learn more about health equity and related concepts. This series of short videos provides brief, illustrative introductions to complex issues, like SDOH.

Visit the CDC OHE webpage for more information about the Health Equity Video Series and to learn more about how to communicate about health equity. 

August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month, a collaborative initiative of the National Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Multicultural Action Group aimed at creating a positive culture for organ, eye, and tissue donation to improve the quality of life of diverse communities. 

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) launched and implemented its Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Modernization Initiative to better serve the needs of patients and families on the organ transplant waitlist. The OPTN reports that racial and ethnic minorities account for about 61 percent of the individuals on the U.S. transplant list, with about 28 percent of those being Black/African American and about 23 percent being Hispanic/Latino. According to Donate Life America, on average, Black/African American transplant candidates wait longer than non-Black candidates for kidney, heart, and lung transplants.  

Shared ethnicity is not a requirement for matching organ donors and recipients. However, having a more diverse donor registry gives racial and ethnic minorities on the transplant waiting list a better chance of finding a good donor match since people with rare immune system markers are more likely to match someone from a similar ethnic background. 

Visit HRSA’s OrganDonor.gov, available in English and Spanish, to learn about organ donation and sign up to be a donor. Visit Donate Life America for social media graphics in English and Spanish to share during the month of August to spread the word about National Minority Donor Awareness Month. 

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) highlights the importance of routine vaccination for people of all ages. As people across the country prepare for back-to-school season in August, it is vital to remind everyone that receiving all recommended vaccines is the best defense against severe illness.  

People from racial and ethnic minority groups tend to have lower rates of vaccination when it comes to receiving recommended vaccines. Many factors can contribute to lower vaccination rates, including limited access to vaccines, concerns about vaccine safety, and health insurance coverage.  

In the United States, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends vaccines against 15 potentially serious diseases by age 24 months. In a 2022 study, CDC found that non-Hispanic Black/African American children, Hispanic/Latino, and non-Hispanic AI/AN children all had lower vaccination rates of recommend childhood vaccines at 24 months compared with non-Hispanic white children. 

This month, help inform your community about the benefits of vaccination and find out which vaccines you and your family may need. Visit the CDC’s Vaccines and Immunization website for more information, resources, immunization schedules, and more.  

National Breastfeeding Month (NBM) is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance and benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and parents. Choosing to breastfeed is a personal decision, and new parents who are able and choose to can face many challenges when it comes to breastfeeding. 

The 2024 NBM theme set by the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee, Nourish, Sustain, Thrive, shines a light on why protecting, promoting, and supporting lactation is so important for the human life cycle and honors the incredible work that organizations are doing to make the world more accessible for new parents and families who choose to breastfeed. 

Breastfeeding is linked to a reduced risk for many illnesses in children and mothers. National dietary guidelines recommend new parents exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months of life and continue breastfeeding if they are able to for at least the first year. Although more than 80 percent of mothers in the United States start off breastfeeding, less than 25 percent exclusively breastfeed their baby at 6 months. According to the CDC, fewer non-Hispanic Black infants (77.3%) are ever breastfed compared with Asian infants (87.1%), non-Hispanic white infants (85.3%), and Hispanic infants (81.9%). 

Visit the HHS Office on Women's Health website, also available in Spanish, for useful online resources that can help you decide if breastfeeding is right for you and address breastfeeding challenges. There are also resources to support African American women and families. Breastfeeding resources for mothers also include a fact sheet and a guide to breastfeeding. 

Every year, the National Association of Community Health Centers leads National Health Center Week (NHCW) to celebrate and raise awareness of the work done by community health centers across the United States. Community health centers play an important part in addressing disparities in health care access and affordability in racial and ethnic minority communities. 

This year’s NHCW theme, Powering Communities Through Caring Connections, focuses on empowering communities by connecting them with health centers and elected officials from all levels of government and celebrating the uniqueness of their communities by getting to know those dedicated to lasting partnerships. 

Each day of NHCW will focus on a particular topic: 

August 4: Public Health in Housing 

August 5: Healthcare for People Experiencing Homelessness 

August 6: Agricultural Worker Health 

August 7: Patient Appreciation 

August 8: Stakeholder Appreciation 

August 9: Health Center Staff Appreciation 

August 10: Children’s Health 

Visit the NHCW website for more information about events during the observance week and use the HRSA Find a Health Center tool to find a health center near you.