The document, titled Eliminating Health Disparities in the United States, says that expanding access to health care is "a critical component" of the agency’s work to eliminate disparities. Much of HRSA’s $6.23 billion budget in FY 2001 is invested in programs and initiatives intended to increase access to health care, an effort that also serves to fight health disparities. HRSA’s stated mission as an agency is to assure 100 percent access to health care and zero health disparities for all Americans.

Other HRSA activities to eliminate health disparities -- defined as "population-specific differences in the presence of disease, health outcomes, or access to care" -- focus on clinical areas already established by Healthy People 2010 and HHS' 1998 Initiative for the Elimination of Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health. These include: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, immunizations, and cancer screening and management. Additional HRSA activities target oral health, mental health and substance abuse, asthma, cultural competence, diversifying the health care workforce, domestic violence, health care for people living along the U.S.-Mexico border, and health issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender populations.

In FY 2001, HRSA has adopted new directions for combating health disparities, identifying eight health disparity substrategies on which the agency will focus in a coordinated, integrated manner. They are:

• Reducing the incidence of disease and death in targeted clinical areas;
• Increasing access and use of health care by underserved populations;
• Focusing on target populations;
• Diversifying the health care workforce;
• Increasing the cultural competence of the health care workforce;
• Establishing new partnerships;
• Translating knowledge into clinical practice; and
• Enhancing data collection.

A hard copy of the report may be obtained from the HRSA Information Center.