Health Equity Matters

A quarterly e-newsletter in which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) shares news, perspectives and progress in the science and practice of health equity.

Welcome to the first issue of Health Equity Matters, an electronic newsletter intended to promote awareness of minority health and health equity issues that affect our work at CDC and in the broader public health community, support the achievement of our goal to eliminate health disparities, and foster ongoing communication and collaboration.

In each issue, we hope to feature innovative health equity initiatives, commentaries on minority health in the 21st century, and inform our readers of upcoming events. We will also celebrate the contributions of a “Health Equity Champion” and welcome your nominations of persons deserving of this recognition. Our inaugural Health Equity Champion is Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human Services.

Health Equity Matters is a dynamic and enriching conversation across CDC, with our partners, and the public on achieving health equity.

We hope that you find the contents of this newsletter helpful, thought provoking and inspiring to your work. We look forward to continuing this dialogue, and welcome your feedback about the newsletter.

Leandris C. Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA
Director, OMHHE, CDC

• Minority Health Month Celebration

  Along with partners around the country, CDC celebrated minority health month in April by covering important topics impacting many minority populations.
  
  Conversations included making changes in systems to support health equity through the Community Transformation Grants (CTGs) program; the need for culturally appropriate communications campaigns such as those developed for Seasonal Influenza (Flu); the power of storytelling on changing health behavior as exemplified in the Eagle Books program; and policies across federal agencies that can support the elimination of health disparities such as the National Prevention Strategy (NPS).
  
  Experiences and ideas that were shared throughout the country during April will provide us with new ideas about how to eliminate health disparities and improve health equity.
  
  

• Program Response to the CHDIR

  OMHHE is leading the development of a program response to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) of the "CDC Health Disparities and Inequities Report (CHDIR), United States 2011", published on January 14, 2011.
  
  The CHDIR is the first in a series of consolidated assessments highlighting health disparities in 22 topic areas, including social determinants of health, environmental hazards, health-care access, mortality, morbidity, and behavioral risk factors.
  
  The report shows that substantial progress in improving health for most U.S. residents has been made in recent years, yet persistent disparities continue.
  
  In an effort to share effective strategies for reducing some of the disparities identified in the CHDIR, OMHHE is developing a pair of publications to include evidence-based approaches to reducing health disparities. These two resources - a shorter MMWR supplement and a larger monograph to be released at the end of 2012 - will provide partners with examples and resources for action. Stay tuned for more information on these upcoming publications.
  
  

• Minority HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (MARI)

  The Minority HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (MARI) was established by the CDC in 2003 in an effort to build capacity to address social determinants of health to achieve health equity in communities of color. The program provides mentoring, scientific training, funding and technical assistance, as well as collaboration opportunities to underrepresented, minority junior scientists. These scientists conduct HIV prevention research in highly affected communities of color and other vulnerable populations.
  
  To date, MARI has funded and/or trained 27 junior researchers; of those, 19 have completed prevention research projects, and 8 are funded to conduct new culturally-relevant, high-impact HIV prevention research in disproportionately affected areas in the United States.
  
  

• New Associate Director for Tribal Support

  OMHHE welcomes Delight E. Satter, MPH, as the new Associate Director for Tribal Support in CDC's Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support (OSTLTS). Joining CDC in December 2011, Ms. Satter coordinates CDC programs and policies that benefit or affect American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations, serves as the principal advisor and main liaison with policy-level officials, and is CDC's principal contact for all AI/AN public health activities.
  
  OMHHE is working closely with Ms. Satter to ensure collaboration and coordination. For more information, see CDC's OSTLTS Website.
  
  
  

• National Undergraduate Summer Public Health Program

  CDC's OMHHE funds a national program that increases the exposure and training of undergraduate and graduate students in public health and the biomedical sciences.
  
  The overall goal of the National Undergraduate Summer Public Health Program is to improve the representation of minority and other underrepresented populations in public health by increasing awareness of public health among students in those populations.
  
  During the program, 190 undergraduate students will receive exciting, hands-on experiences at public health departments, community based organizations (CBOs), academic institutions, and the CDC.
  
  Participants receive on-going training through a 10-week program, complemented by employment guidance and support for the consideration of public health as a long-term career choice.
  
  The program also supports the Dr. James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellowship, which is a nine-week program that provides full-time medical, dental, pharmacy, veterinary or public health graduate students with a comprehensive public health research experience in the field of infectious diseases, complemented by clinical and public health leadership opportunities.
  
  For information on program activities, see CDC's Minority Health website.
  
  

• Fresh Food Retailer Initiative

  CDC's Prevention Research Centers (PRC) program supports community- based research programs in 37 academic centers.
  
  The work of one of these, the Tulane University PRC, has resulted in an innovative approach to the problem of access to fresh foods. The city of New Orleans’ Fresh Food Retailers Initiative (FFRI) program will increase access to fresh foods in traditionally underserved neighborhoods in the city, and will provide quality employment opportunities to serve as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization. The program will provide direct financial assistance to retail businesses by awarding forgivable and/or low-interest loans to supermarkets, grocery stores, and other fresh food retailers. The city has provided $7,000,000 in Disaster Community Development Block Grant funds toward the program, which will be matched 1:1 by the city’s partner, Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE).

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Dr. Liburd is now hosting a regular CDC blog titled Conversations in Equity to share and exchange perspectives and progress in the science and practice of health equity. See her inaugural post and add your comments.

Leandris C. Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA, Director of CDC's OMHHE, was also featured as a guest blogger on the HHS, Office of Minority Health, and National Partnership for Action (NPA) Blog on April 6, 2012.
Cross-posted from the HHS Office of Minority Health Blog: National Partnership for Action

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In each edition of Health Equity Matters, OMHHE will recognize a Health Equity Champion - someone who has made outstanding contributions to the field of health equity, and who has continued to keep health equity issues at the forefront.

For this inaugural edition, OMHHE honors its first Health Equity Champion, Dr. Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H. Assistant Secretary for Health, HHS.

Throughout his career, and in particular during his tenure at HHS, Dr. Koh has highlighted the need to address persistent health disparities at the highest level possible, and through comprehensive national agendas that target action to address these disparities.

In response to being recognized as OMHHE’s first Health Equity Champion, Dr. Koh is "delighted to work with dedicated CDC leaders to promote cross-departmental commitments to health equity and assure that all people enjoy the 'sunlight of opportunity'."

Under Dr. Koh’s leadership, HHS unveiled a comprehensive federal commitment to reducing disparities through the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. This plan, which responds to recommendations offered by stakeholders around the nation through the National Partnership for Action, utilizes unprecedented opportunities presented by the Affordable Care Act of 2010 to address the needs of diverse communities around the nation.

In addition, under Dr. Koh’s leadership, Healthy People 2020 was expanded to include the Social Determinants of Health topic area. In the next decade, Healthy People 2020 will assess health disparities in the U.S. by tracking not only rates of illness, death and chronic conditions but also behaviors and other types of outcomes in relation to demographic and environmental factors such as— health education; nutritious food; safe housing; affordable, reliable public transportation; culturally sensitive health care providers; health insurance; and clean water and non-polluted air.

Dr. Koh’s efforts to focus on standards for collection and reporting of data on race, ethnicity, sex, primary language and disability status in population health surveys (Section 4302) have resulted in a greater focus on the need for better data standards and have set the bar higher for more meaningful data collection.

Finally, Dr. Koh’s work to develop and launch the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Health (AANHPI) plan has resulted in focused efforts across HHS agencies to address priority goals in these communities.

For more information, see the blog post from the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: Achieving Health Equity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders .

Congratulations to Dr. Koh for being a champion for health equity, and our heartfelt thanks for his commitment to address the needs of those communities most at risk for poor health.

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• Prevention Institute Webinar
  On Tuesday, May 15, 2012, this webinar will look at ways to shift the transportation conversation back to how public transportation impacts the livelihood and civic life of cities and their residents.
  
• Hepatitis Testing Day
  CDC will use the first ever Hepatitis Testing Day on May 19, 2012, as an opportunity to remind health care providers and the public of individuals that should be tested for chronic viral hepatitis.
  
• Call for Abstracts
  2012 Summit on the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities will be held from October 31-November 3, 2012. Abstracts must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 15, 2012.
  
• Call for Abstracts
  The National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH) is now accepting abstracts for workshops for the 22nd Annual Midwest Stream Farmworker Health Forum scheduled for November 8-10, 2012 in San Antonio Texas. When submitting abstracts this year, please consider the theme of the 50th Anniversary of Migrant Health.
  
• 7th Summer Institute on Migration and Global Health
  June 25-29, 2012, Los Angeles, California
  
• 2012 Health Impact Assessment International Conference
  August 29-31, 2012, Québec, Canada
  
• 2012 PLACE MATTERS National Health Equity Conference
  September 25, 2012, Washington, D.C. Registration will open in July.
  

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Obesity in the U.S.: During 2009-2010, 19.6% of males and 17.1% of females aged 12-19 years were obese. More than one-quarter (26.5%) of Hispanic males were obese, compared with 22.6% of non-Hispanic black males and 17.5% of non-Hispanic white males. Prevalence of obesity was higher among non-Hispanic black females (24.8%) than among non-Hispanic white females (14.7%); 19.8% of Hispanic females were obese.
MMWR Weekly, March 9, 2012/61(09);165.

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The Evolution of Minority Health in the U.S.

OMHHE and the David J. Sencer CDC Museum Workgroup are developing an exhibit about the evolution of minority health and efforts at CDC, at other federal agencies, and in communities to reduce health disparities in the United States. The exhibit will open to the public in late September 2013 and will coincide with the celebration of OMHHE's 25th anniversary. Stay tuned!

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