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News Release

HHS Awards More Than $65 Million to Eliminate Health Disparities

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the awarding of $65.1 million, by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD). These funds support the advancement of health disparities research and the elimination of health disparities among racial and ethnic minority and medically underserved communities.

"These awards reinforce our continuing commitment to eliminate health disparities experienced by traditionally disadvantaged populations across the nation," Secretary Thompson said. "Our comprehensive effort to close the health gap among minorities continues to strengthen our nation's health care safety net and provide more health services to more Americans."

The NCMHD was designated by Congress to lead, coordinate, support and assess the NIH research effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities as they affect racial and ethnic communities and medically underserved individuals.

"Broadening collaborative relationships developed through partnerships between NIH and institutions and researchers from all populations is necessary to advance progress that will translate scientific discovery into tangible health benefits for all Americans," NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni said.

"This year's awards will expand the reach of the center as well as the impact these programs have on strengthening our nation's research infrastructure and ability to advance the work to eliminate health disparities," said John Ruffin, Ph.D., director of NCMHD. "If we are to solve the problem of health disparities, we must be more inclusive in our research endeavors."

The following fiscal year 2003 awards were made by NCMHD:

• New Endowment Program awards totaling $20 million have been made to four institutions for the purpose of facilitating minority health disparities research and other health disparities research. These institutions are all Centers of Excellence as defined by Section 736 of the Public Health Service Act. The grants will help these institutions to strengthen and build their capacity for minority health and other health disparities research.

• Awards totaling $32 million have been made to 33 new eligible biomedical and behavioral research institutions under the Centers of Excellence in Partnerships for Community Outreach, Research on Health Disparities and Training (Project EXPORT). These awards will support health disparities research, with 23 institutions receiving funds to begin developing health disparities centers and 10 other institutions receiving planning grants. The program aims to build research capacity at designated institutions enrolling a significant number of students from health disparity populations and to promote participation and training in biomedical and behavioral research among health disparity populations.

• New awards totaling $4.8 million have been made to five qualified biomedical and behavioral research institutions under the Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions (RIMI) Program. The RIMI program assists non-doctoral degree institutions to develop their research infrastructures, primarily through collaborations with research-intensive universities.

• $8.3 million in new awards have been issued to 148 qualified health professionals under the Loan Repayment Programs, which are designed to increase the number of individuals conducting clinical or health disparities research, including researchers from health disparities populations.

A list of the institutional grantees follows.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: October 10, 2003