Archived Press Releases

The Office of Minority Health Resource Center receives pertinent health information from prominent media resources and other government sites. Please return to our Current Press Releases page often for the latest information on issues relating to minorities and health, funding resources and legislative publications.

The following represents the content we have available in this category:


	NIH Funds 16 Science Education Partnership Awards Nearly $17 Million Dollars Will Be Used to Engage Students and the Public in Health Sciences The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced it will provide up to an estimated $17 million to fund 16 Science Education Partnership Awards (SEPAs). Led by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) — a part of the NIH — SEPAs provide two to five years of support to stimulate scientific curiosity and encourage hands-on science education activities.
	New Teaching Tools Foster Science and Diabetes Education in Native American Schools NIH announced that it will launch its ‘Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools’ curriculum Wednesday, Nov. 12 in D.C.
	NIH Joins with the Jackson Medical Mall to Launch Health Series To mark the second anniversary of the National Institutes of Health Information Center at the Jackson Medical Mall in Jackson, MS. The center features health information materials from many of NIH's 27 Institutes and Centers on cancer, heart disease, dental care, diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome, and many other health topics.
	New Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Centers Target Stress-Related Illnesses, Obesity, Cancer, and Other Conditions The National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has added four new Centers of Excellence for Research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CERCs) to its research centers program. The new centers will add to knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches and their potential in treating and preventing diseases and conditions that are common among Americans.
	Researchers Identify Novel Type of Antibody that Potently Inhibits HIV Infection A small antibody fragment that is highly effective in neutralizing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by preventing the virus from entering cells has been identified by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
	MEDICARE'S ONLINE TOOLS WILL HELP BENEFICIARIES WITH PRESCRIPTION DRUG AND HEALTH PLAN CHOICES FOR 2009 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that beneficiaries, their caregivers, and family members can begin to review 2009 Medicare prescription drug plan and health plan information online through the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder and Medicare Options Compare at http://www.medicare.gov.
	Statement of Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health on National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, October 15, 2008 On National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, we reflect on the disproportionate toll of HIV/AIDS among Latinos in the United States as we intensify our commitment to fighting the virus and the disease in this minority community.
	HHS Announces Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Adults gain substantial health benefits from two and a half hours a week of moderate aerobic physical activity, and children benefit from an hour or more of physical activity a day, according to the new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
	HHS Office of Minority Health Awards Nearly $3 Million to Further HIV/AIDS Related Services in Underserved Minority Communities The Office of Minority Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the award of nearly $3 million to 13 organizations, to support efforts to help improve the capability of community-based organizations in providing comprehensive HIV/AIDS-related services in underserved racial and ethnic minority communities.
	NIH Awards $4.6 Million to Expand Global Health Network The Fogarty International Center, part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced it will award $4.6 million over three years to expand its network of global health education programs to include 12 additional campuses in the United States, China and Mexico.
	NIH, DOD, and VA Host Two Day Conference on Trauma Spectrum Disorders: The Role of Gender, Race & Other Socioeconomic Factors As we know from history, health innovations developed in the civilian and military contexts are synergistic; what is learned in each context has relevance to the other and contributes greatly to improved health of all citizens.
	Elias A. Zerhouni to End Tenure as Director of the National Institutes of Health Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., the director of the National Institutes of Health, announced his plans to step down at the end of October 2008 to pursue writing projects and explore other professional opportunities.
	The Kaiser Family Foundation and Univision launch First National Spanish-Language Media Campaign featuring HIV-Positive Latinos And Loved Ones The Kaiser Family Foundation and Univision Communications Inc., the nation's leading Spanish-language media company unveiled “SOY...” (“I AM...”), a groundbreaking Spanish-language media campaign featuring the personal stories of a diverse group of Latinos living with HIV and the people who love them.
	FDA Updates Health Information Advisory on Melamine Contamination On September 12, 2008, in light of reports from China of melamine contaminated infant formula, the FDA issued a Health Information Advisory to proactively reassure the American public that there is no known threat of contamination in infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell such products in the United States.
	Newly Identified Gene Variations Account for Increased Burden of Kidney Disease among African-Americans For the first time, researchers have identified variations in a single gene that are strongly associated with kidney diseases disproportionately affecting African-Americans. This work was conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and by NIH-funded investigators at the Johns Hopkins University.
	FDA Issues Health Information Advisory on Infant Formula In response to reports of contaminated milk-based infant formula manufactured in China, the FDA advises the public that there is no known threat of contamination in formula manufactured by companies allowed to sell infant formula in the U.S.
	The Cancer Genome Atlas Reports First Results of Comprehensive Study of Brain Tumors: Large-Scale Effort Identifies New Genetic Mutations, Core Pathways The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network, a collaborative effort funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reported the first results of its large-scale, comprehensive study of the most common form of brain cancer, glioblastoma (GBM).
	HHS Provides Prescription Drug and Durable Medical Equipment Assistance for Uninsured Louisiana Victims of Hurricane Gustav HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced $1 million in individual assistance for Louisiana victims of Hurricane Gustav, through a new Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) administrated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
	HHS Secretary Declares Public Health Emergency for Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt declared a public health emergency to ensure that individuals, including those enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama continue to receive their health care items and services.
	Report Finds Majority of Ryan White Program Clients Are From Minority Communities A key Federal program in the fight against AIDS serves many of the poorest people with HIV/AIDS in America, according to a report released today during the 2008 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Conference in Washington, D.C.
	NHGRI Seeks DNA Sequencing Technologies Fit for Routine Laboratory and Medical Use More than $20 million was awarded Wednesday Aug. 20 to various researchers to help develop ways to inexpensively, but efficiently sequence DNA, in hopes of leading to more personalized medicine.
	CDC Launches CDC-TV On-Line Video Resource The CDC announced Tuesday, August 19, 2008 that they will begin offering videos online on a variety of health topics through CDC-TV. Their first series “Health Matters” will begin with the topic of dating violence.
	Alternative Vaccine Strategy Shows Promise in Prostate Cancer Patients Researchers at the National Cancer Institute have reported finding promising alternatives for treating patients with prostate cancer by using immune boosters. The study released Friday Aug. 15 found that the low dose of immune boosters had less side effects and similar results for patients.
	Anti-HIV 'Drug Cocktails' Equally Effective in Patients with or without History of Injection Drug Use Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been extremely effective at slowing the progression of HIV infection to AIDS as well as extending the lives and improving the quality of life for those with HIV.
	NIDDK Resource Helps Guide Women with Diabetes through Healthy Pregnancies Pregnancy is a time of great excitement and anticipation. It also can be a time of anxiety, especially for women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Pregnancy in women who have diabetes is automatically considered high-risk.
	New Consensus Statement Offers Nation's First Blueprint for Disaster Preparedness in Minority Communities Leading Public Health and Health Care Agencies and Organizations Join in First-of-Its-Kind Declaration.
	NIH Launches Center to Study Genomics and Health Disparities The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced the establishment of the NIH Intramural Center for Genomics and Health Disparities (NICGHD), a new venue for research about the way populations are impacted by diseases, including obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
	November 30, 2007 HHS and Kaiser Family Foundation Team Up to Promote Text Messaging in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS In the United States, an estimated 1 million people are living with HIV; of these, approximately 25 percent are unaware of their HIV infection and at increased risk for infecting others.
	September 10, 2007 Office of Minority Health to Launch a National Campaign in Detroit to Address Infant Mortality Among African Americans "A healthy baby begins with you" seeks to heighten awareness of African-American babies dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, prematurity and low birth weight
	May 7, 2007 Federal Health Leaders Unveil New Programs to Recruit More Minorities into Clinical Trials Watch a web cast of the press conference for a four-year program called Eliminating Disparities in Clinical Trials launched at Baylor College of Medicine.
	The Office of Minority Health and District of Columbia Department of Health Launch Infant Mortality Campaign Author and Producer Tonya Lewis Lee, Philanthropist Charrisse Jordan, WPGC Radio Disc Jockey Justine Love Help Lead the Educational Effort
	OMH to Help Nurses Provide Culturally Competent Care Nurses spend more time in direct patient care than any other group of health professionals, and as such, are in a unique position to bridge health disparities by providing culturally competent care.
	January 9, 2006 HHS Convenes National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health "Reducing health disparities as they affect racial, ethnic and underserved populations is an essential goal of this department," Secretary Leavitt said. "I am convinced that we can create a healthier and a more hopeful nation, one in which disparities are fewer and diseases have less of an impact on society's most vulnerable."
	October 4, 2006 HHS AWARDS $1.2 MILLION TO ADDRESS METHAMPHETAMINE ABUSE IN NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES "American Indians and Alaska Natives suffer health disparities for many diseases at a higher percentage than other U.S. populations," Dr. Agwunobi said. "Tribal officials have identified meth use one of their highest priority health issues, and called for federal and state assistance to conduct outreach and education and help reduce the toll that methamphetamine abuse is taking on their communities."
	January 10, 2006 HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt Announces Minority Health Awards HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced special awards for excellence in minority health to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of pioneering leaders in the field. The new awards were created as part of a celebration of the 20th year of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH).