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Last Reviewed: May 7, 2008
Last Modified: May 7, 2008
Content Source:
Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities (OMHD) |
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About OMHD
| Mission |
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The Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHD) aims to
accelerate CDC’s health impact in the U.S population and to
eliminate health disparities for vulnerable populations as defined
by race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, geography, gender, age,
disability status, risk status related to sex and gender, and among
other populations identified to be at-risk for health disparities. |
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History of the Office |
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In 1985, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Margaret
Heckler (1983-1985) issued a
landmark report 1 which revealed large
and persistent gaps in health status among Americans of different racial
and ethnic groups2 and served as an impetus
for addressing health inequalities for racial and ethnic minorities in
the U.S.3 This report led to the
establishment of the Office of Minority Health (OMH) within the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with a mission to address
these disparities within the Nation.1 CDC
established its own Office of the Associate Director for Minority Health (ADMH) in
1988 in response to the same report; CDC’s first ADMH was Dr. Reuben
Warren. Located in the Office of the Director (OD)4,
Dr. Warren provided leadership for CDC’s minority health activities,
which included serving as the primary advisor to the director of CDC on
minority health initiatives and coordinating CDC activities to support
the HHS’ minority health initiatives, among other activities.5
Dr. Warren left in 1997 and was succeeded by Acting ADMHs Robert J.
Robinson, and Wilma J. Johnson. Dr. Walter W. Williams became ADMH in
1998 and remains in this position today.4
ADMH officially became CDC’s Office of Minority Health (OMH) in 2002.4
Under the leadership of Dr. Walter W. Williams, OMH’s mission was to
promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling the
disproportionate burden of disease, injury and disability among racial
and ethnic minority populations. In carrying out its mission, OMH’s role
was to coordinate White House Executive Orders and HHS Departmental
Initiatives, support Cooperative Agreements for research and
professional development, report on the health status of racial and
ethnic minorities in the United States, and initiate strategic
partnerships with governmental as well as national and regional
organizations.6
On September 23rd, 2005, CDC’s Executive Leadership Board (ELB)
approved a plan to expand OMH to create the new Office of Minority
Health and Health Disparities (OMHD).7 The
office is housed in the Office of Strategy and Innovation (OSI), Office
of the Director, CDC(4). OMHD has a broader focus on reducing health
disparities experienced by populations defined by race/ethnicity,
socio-economic status, geography, gender, age, disability status, and
risk status related to sex and gender. OMHD’s mission is to accelerate
CDC’s health impact in the U.S population and to eliminate health
disparities for vulnerable populations as defined above.8 |
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CDC
Reorganization |
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On September 23rd, 2005, CDC’s Executive Leadership
Board (ELB) approved a plan to expand CDC’S Office of Minority Health (OMH) to
create the new Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHD). This new office
is housed in
the Office of Strategy and Innovation (OSI), Office of the Director, CDC. The
OMHD has a broader focus on reducing health disparities experienced by
populations defined by race/ethnicity, socio-economic status,
geography, gender, age, disability status, and risk status related
to sex and gender. |
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Racial & Ethnic Minority
Populations as Defined by: |
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American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) |
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Asian American |
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Black or African American |
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Hispanic or Latino |
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Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
(NHOPI) |
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Other Vulnerable
Populations as Defined by: |
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Disability Status |
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Age |
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Gender |
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Geography (Urban or Rural) |
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Risk Status Related to Sex and Gender |
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Socio-Economic Status |
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| Core
Functions |
| As part of the CDC Office of Strategy and Innovation (OSI),
the new OMHD will achieve a positive
impact on population health by (a) maintaining current level of
OMHD’s programs in minority health and Indian Country, and (b)
accelerating progress toward health disparity elimination by supporting and
conducting assessment, research, education, and intervention in
collaboration with coordinating centers, offices, and
community-based partners that serve vulnerable populations defined
above.
OMHD's Core Functions
View information on OMHD's core functions, focusing on minority health and health
disparities elimination. |
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Presentation on OMHD |
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Power
Point Presentation on OMHD
View a
PowerPoint Presentation on the Office of Minority Health and Health
Disparities (OMHD).
Video Presentation on
OMHD
View a Video Presentation on the Office of Minority Health and
Health Disparities (OMHD). Taped as part of the Center
Leadership Council (CLC) Cross Pollination and Expertise Building
Presentations. Closed Captioned. 37:54min
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