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Blog: National Partnership for Action
Minority Populations
Addressing Viral Hepatitis Among Minority Communities
Posted on 5/31/2012 by J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE
Cross-posted from AIDS.gov blog. Since 1991, routine vaccinations of infants has reduced hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection rates in children by more than 95 percent. And the incidence of acute hepatitis C (HCV) has declined 90 percent since 1992, in large part due to the screening of the blood supply. This progress illustrates the impact that public health policies and practices can have in only a few decades. And these successes should be celebrated. During May’s national observance of Hepatitis Awareness Month, we are reminded that several racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States are disproportionately affected by viral hepatitis1.
The HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) is working to address these disparities as a partner in the cross-agency implementation of the Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis. In fact, OMH is a participating agency in more than a dozen of the specific actions detailed in the Action Plan. These efforts include working with Federal partners to reach specific at-risk populations with culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate evidence-based interventions to strengthen community-based programs providing testing and linkages to care, particularly those serving foreign-born populations, as well as by publishing periodic reports on viral-hepatitis-associated health disparities and integrating hepatitis A and B vaccination as a standard of care in Federal prevention and clinical programs that serve priority populations. Among the steps OMH is taking is our partnership with the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) and the Hepatitis B Foundation to launch the Hep B United national campaign. The campaign aims to end hepatitis B by supporting community-based groups in their efforts to increase hepatitis B awareness, screening, vaccination, and access to care for all Americans, and AAPIs in particular. Just this week, the Hepatitis B Initiative of Washington, DC , a campaign partner, co-hosted an education session during the National Association of Professional Asian American Women conference to encourage screening and testing for viral hepatitis. OMH encourages everyone to take the online viral hepatitis risk assessment recently launched by the CDC. In less than five minutes, this online tool will assess an individual’s risk for viral hepatitis in response to a series of questions — and will generate a summary of recommendations for testing and vaccination that people can print and take to their doctor to discuss. Our goal is that this risk assessment tool will raise awareness about this silent epidemic among members of the public, as well as the health care community. We are hoping that all of our partners will help us share information about this exciting new tool and encourage people to use it. During Hepatitis Awareness Month and beyond, we invite all of you to join us, in and across your communities, as we continue our fight against viral hepatitis. 1"Achieving health equity to eliminate racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in HBV-and HCV-associated liver disease." The Journal of Family Practice. April 2010, Vol. 59, No. 04 Suppl: S37-S42. Accessed online at http://www.jfponline.com/pages.asp?AID=8516 May 29, 2012. 2Upadhyaya N,et. al. "Chronic hepatitis B: perceptions in Asian American communities and diagnosis and management practices among primary care physicians." Postgrad Med. 2010 Sep; 122(5):165-75. Accessed via http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861600 on May 29, 2012. Posted in: Health Minority Populations Vaccines | Comments | Add a Comment | Comment Policy | Permalink Closing the Gap on Asthma
Posted on 5/31/2012 by J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE
Asthma affects nearly 26 million Americans, including 7 million children. While advancements in treatment and interventions have improved health outcomes for many suffering from this respiratory disease, that progress has not yet reached everyone. Poor and minority children bear the greatest burden of the disease, suffering from asthma at higher rates, experiencing greater exposure to environmental triggers, and receiving less access to quality care. Today, the Obama Administration launches a new approach to closing that gap: the Coordinated Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities. The result of a collaborative interagency effort led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Action Plan presents a framework for coordinating federal resources to get the right asthma care with the right support to the children who need it most. Asthma currently affects 16 percent of non-Hispanic black children, 10.7 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native children, and 7.9 percent of Hispanic children (16.5 percent among Puerto Rican children), compared to 8.2 percent of non-Hispanic white children and 6.8 percent of Asian children. Minority children with asthma are also less likely to receive regular care and recommended treatment, and more likely to be hospitalized for their condition. For example, non-Hispanic black children are twice as likely to be hospitalized and four times more likely to die due to asthma than non-Hispanic white children. In many instances, the burden of disease among minority children is worsened by social and environmental factors relating to where children live, learn, and play – such as environmental exposures to tobacco smoke, air pollution, mold, or other allergens and pollutants and lack of family resources for asthma management at home. While we do not yet have interventions that prevent the onset of asthma, we know that there are evidence-based measures that can reduce asthma mortality and improve the quality of life for those living with the disease. The Action Plan seeks to reduce barriers to comprehensive care, improve intervention strategies, and strengthen partnerships among federal programs to better reach communities with racial and ethnic asthma disparities. In doing so, the Action Plan builds on major federal initiatives to reduce health disparities, promote health equity and expand access to health care - most notably, the Affordable Care Act and the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. The Affordable Care Act represents one of the most significant efforts in our nation's history to increase access to affordable, high-quality care - ensuring, for example, that children cannot be denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions such as asthma; and investing in community health centers, which provide care to vulnerable and underserved communities. In turn, the HHS Disparities Action Plan provides a coordinated roadmap to realizing a nation free of disparities in health and health care. Today, as agencies across the government join together in launching a comprehensive effort to address racial and ethnic disparities in asthma, we can celebrate another step forward in fulfilling our vision of a nation where everyone has a chance to live a healthy life. Learn more about the Asthma Disparities Action Plan at http://www.epa.gov/asthma/childrenstaskforce. Posted in: Health Minority Populations Health Disparities Health Conditions | Comments | Add a Comment | Comment Policy | Permalink Making History: Eliminating Viral Hepatitis Disparities in the African American Community
Posted on 2/13/2012 by By J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE
Cross-posted from the AIDS.gov blog. During February's observance of African American History Month, please join us in working to end the unfortunate history of viral hepatitis' disproportionate impact on the African American community. This Administration is working hard to reduce and eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity. Unfortunately, viral hepatitis is a health problem that is often overlooked by the public as well as healthcare providers. This, despite the fact that viral hepatitis is a leading infectious cause of death, claiming the lives of 12,000-15,000 Americans each year. As many as 5.3 million Americans are living with viral hepatitis, though most do not know that they are infected. This places them at greater risk for severe, even fatal, complications from the disease and increases the likelihood that they will spread the virus to others. What Is Hepatitis? Viral Hepatitis Disparities
Viral Hepatitis Action Plan In addition, the Viral Hepatitis Action Plan is both supported by and complements several other initiatives unfolding within HHS and across the Federal government, including the:
Your Help Is Essential Posted in: Health Minority Populations Health Disparities Vaccines | Comments | Add a Comment | Comment Policy | Permalink Remembering Dr. King: Eliminating Injustice in Health Care
Posted on 1/17/2012 by Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said : "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." Dr. King worked tirelessly to create a just and equitable nation. And today, as we honor his legacy, we reflect on our own response to his call for justice. Despite the progress we have made, we know that underserved communities may not have equal access to health care - or similar health care outcomes. Low-income Americans, racial and ethnic minorities, and other underserved populations often have higher rates of disease, fewer treatment options, and reduced access to care and coverage. Here at the Department of Health and Human Services, we are constantly working towards a healthier America: committed to ensuring that all Americans achieve health equity by eliminating disparities and doing what we can to improve the health of all communities. The Affordable Care Act will help reduce health disparities by expanding health coverage to 34 million Americans, preventing the worst insurance company abuses, and bringing new funding to community health centers, an important safety net for vulnerable populations. Together, the HHS Strategic Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and the Affordable Care Act will guide us in our efforts to improve access to quality care and reduce health disparities. We can and will do more to ensure justice in healthcare and improve the lives of millions of Americans. Posted in: Health Minority Populations Health Disparities Rights | Comments | Add a Comment | Comment Policy | Permalink Gaining Headway in the Reduction of Disparities in Influenza Vaccination Coverage
Posted on 10/4/2011 by Garth N. Graham M.D., M.P.H
A recent report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights the increase in seasonal influenza vaccination among minority children for the 2010-11 season, as compared to 2009-10 seasonal coverage. In 2010-11, vaccination coverage rates among children ages 6 months to 17 years were 55.1 percent for Hispanics, 50.8 percent for non-Hispanic blacks, and 48.5 percent for non-Hispanic whites. While coverage among children increased for each of these racial/ethnic groups from the 2009–10 to 2010–11 seasons, the increases were larger for Hispanic and non-Hispanic black children, eliminating the disparity in child coverage for the 2010–11 season. Compared to the previous year, vaccination coverage rose 8.2 percentage points among Hispanics (from 46.9 percent in 2009-10), 13.8 percentage points among non-Hispanic blacks (from 37.0 percent) and 5.3 percentage points among non-Hispanic whites (from 43.2 percent). Coverage rates among other children ages 6 months – 17 years were 59.4 percent among Asians and 55.6 percent among non-Hispanic others. These improvements are very positive, and it is important that we sustain this success in the current and future influenza seasons. I am happy to say that we can attribute such successes in decreasing racial and ethnic health disparities to a multi-factorial approach including the ongoing work of our many national, state and local partners. In fact, the CDC highlights that health advocates and community partners play an important role, as technologies and strategies are employed that can positively affect local vaccination coverage. Innovative outreach strategies such as drive-through vaccination campaigns, text messaging promotions, and school-located vaccination can all be implemented at a local level through partnerships among health departments and medical clinics, and faith-and community-based organizations. Multi-sector partnerships are an important strategy to continue the momentum towards reducing influenza vaccination disparities. And while the increase in vaccination among minority children is a noteworthy step on the road toward the elimination of health disparities in this country, there is still work to be done. The CDC's influenza vaccine coverage surveys also indicate that challenges still remain to increase overall vaccination uptake, as the minority adult population's (older than 18 years of age) coverage remained unchanged. I am confident that our partners are poised to address the challenge of increasing vaccination coverage by expanding outreach efforts, organizing local promotional activities, and ramping up messaging through social media platforms. These and other best practices can be found by visiting www.cdc.gov/flu and accessing free resources and helpful tips to promote the flu vaccine. I encourage you to visit the link above, and to learn more about CDC's flu vaccine coverage data at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/coverage_1011estimates.htm Thank you for your continued commitment to the elimination of health disparities in the United States. Posted in: Health Minority Populations Health Conditions Prevention | Comments | Add a Comment | Comment Policy | Permalink |
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Make Stroke a Priority and Talk about it with the Women in Your Life → Eliminating Disparities in Lupus → Targeting Asthma’s Toll on Minority Communities → Calling All Women: If Not Now…Then When? → Providing comprehensive and culturally-sensitive health care to Indian people in Tulsa |