Our Mission
The mission of the National Partnership for Action is to mobilize and connect individuals and organizations across the country to create a Nation free of health disparities, with quality health outcomes for all people.
Health Disparities
The existence of health disparities among minority populations is undisputed. The question that confronts us is:
what actions can be taken by private and public partners that would improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our collective efforts?
The National Leadership Summit on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities brought 2,000 health experts and community leaders to Washington, D.C., in January 2006. Organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health (OMH), it reviewed the long and difficult journey toward equality in health outcomes for African Americans; American Indians and Alaska Natives; Asian Americans; Hispanics/Latinos; and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.
The National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA) is the next step.
It will focus on health status and health outcomes among racial and ethnic minority populations.
It is intended to lead OMH and its partners toward a shared destination: a Nation free of health disparities, with quality health outcomes for all.
Our Goals
The NPA aims to:
- Illuminate the compelling issues that impact health outcomes.
- Identify action steps that partners can adopt and adapt for their target audiences.
- Seek out and highlight promising practices that help eliminate health disparities.
- Promote tools, programs, and information sources for consumers, caregivers, and health providers.
The NPA will promote strategic actions in five key areas:
- Increase awareness of health disparities.
- Strengthen leadership at all levels.
- Enhance patient-provider communication.
- Improve cultural and linguistic competency in delivering health services.
- Coordinate and utilize research and outcome evaluations more effectively.
Regional Conversations
Regional Conversations are the first step.
Organized by OMH between October 2007 and December 2008, they will bring together local, State, Tribal, regional and federal experts and practitioners from the private and public sectors to lay the foundation for a comprehensive, community-driven, sustained strategy.
The meetings will result in development, dissemination, and implementation of strategic objectives and tactical recommendations known as Regional Blueprints. These Blueprints will form the basis for:
- Timely, accurate, and effective communications about regional healthcare issues by reducing cultural and linguistic barriers.
- Regional collaborations among researchers, policy-makers, communities, and service delivery systems to examine and shape policies.
- Proactive support of local and regional workshops, programs, health and significant cultural events, and evaluation/communication outreach activities that address the needs of minority populations as they relate to health disparities. Learn more...
Community Focus
During 2007, the NPA will work with communities across the Nation. NPA partners will conduct outreach, technical assistance and other supporting activities for disparities elimination efforts among urban, rural, and suburban populations.
In addition, the Regional Conversations will be preceded by Community Roundtables with local leaders to identify community-level priorities and community-inspired solutions. The results of these sessions will inform the Regional Conversations. Learn more...
2009 Minority Health Summit
Regional Conversations will culminate in the 2009 Minority Health Summit sponsored by HHS. Like the Regional Conversations, the Summit will build a renewed sense of teamwork across communities; share success stories and methods; demonstrate how model programs can be replicated or tailored for greater impact; and create methods, tactics, and ideas that support more effective and efficient action.
Results of the Summit will become part of the National Blueprint for Action, which will guide OMH and its public and private partners into the next decade.
State Partnerships
The NPA will work closely with State health departments and State offices of minority health to help build State and community efforts devoted to eliminating disparities, including stronger State offices of minority health.
Partnerships have been launched with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the new Association of State Offices of Minority Health to carry out this effort.
Profiles of State offices of minority health and State health disparities activities will be posted on this web site in the coming months. Learn more...
Health Disparities Campaigns
The NPA will be complemented by OMH health disparities campaigns, which will help mobilize communities for action and call attention to critically needed health efforts undertaken by health departments and their community partners.
The first such campaign is A Healthy Baby Begins with You, which launched in mid-2007 to educate young mothers and fathers in the African American community about infant mortality prevention, SIDS and healthy living.
Partners with Us!
Solid partnerships will be the key to our success. The Office of Minority Health is looking for partners from all sectors who are willing to make a commitment to help develop, support, and implement this initiative.
Partners may include community- and faith-based organizations, professional societies, government agencies, national non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, foundations, corporations, businesses of all sizes, industry groups, and colleges and universities.
As members of the NPA, partners agree to:
- Support the goals of the NPA and
- Commit to help develop, plan, and implement efforts to reduce or eliminate health disparities.
Join us and help contribute to the solution.
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