Government Agencies
Department of Health and Human Services Offices (DHHS)
The DHHS is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.
Related DHHS Agencies, Centers and Resources:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has a mission to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. AHRQ has resources on minority health and since 2003 AHRQ has produced an annual Congressionally-mandated National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR). To understand the causes of inequalities, AHRQ has awarded grants to nine Excellence Centers to Eliminate Ethnic/Racial Disparities (EXCEED). Each center has a different focus of work and also seeks to evaluate interventions to eliminate health care disparities.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)is on the forefront of public health efforts to prevent and control infectious and chronic diseases, injuries, workplace hazards, disabilities, and environmental health threats. The CDC applies research and findings to improve people’s daily lives and responds to health emergencies. One program of the CDC, Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH 2010) was designed to eliminate disparities in six health care areas: cardiovascular disease, immunizations, breast and cervical cancer, HIV/AIDS, and infant mortality. The program supports community coalitions through grants that allow organizations to target a specific racial group and work over five years to eliminate disparities in care for that group.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with the States to administer Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and health insurance portability standards. CMS has a resource to help managed care organizations addresses either clinical health care disparities or provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS).
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides national leadership, program resources and services needed to improve access to culturally competent, quality health care. HRSA has resources on minority health and cultural competence in health care.
Indian Health Service is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for Native Americans and Alaska Natives.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research. NIH scientists investigate ways to prevent disease as well as the causes, treatments, and cures for common and rare diseases.
Related NIH centers include:
The National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities was established at NIH in 2000 by Congressional legislation. Its mission is to lead, coordinate, and support the NIH effort to ultimately eliminate health disparities. The Center conducts and supports research, training, and dissemination of information with respect to minority health conditions and other populations with health disparities. It has developed a strategic plan that was issued in September 2003.
National Library of Medicine (NLM) is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care. MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.
Related NIH resources and websites include:
Office of Civil Rights protects the civil rights of individuals who are subject to discrimination in health and human services programs.
Office of Minority Health (OMH) has a mission to improve the health of racial and ethnic populations through the development of effective health policies and programs that help to eliminate disparities in health. OMH also monitors efforts to achieve the goals of Healthy People 2010, which have a special focus on eliminating, and not merely reducing, racial and ethnic disparities in health.
Related OMH resources and websites include:
Foundations
The California Endowment
The California Endowment is a private, statewide health foundation with a mission to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. It has
program areas on workforce diversity, cultural competence and disparities in health.
Commonwealth Fund
The Commonwealth Fund supports independent research on health and social issues and makes grants to improve health care practice and policy. It also has a focus on the underserved and minority health. The Fund supports a fellowship in minority health policy at Harvard University which designed to prepare physicians for leadership positions in minority health policy. It also initially funded the Harvard/Commonwealth Health Policy Education Initiative, an interactive educational tool for medical students, residents, and practicing physicians that presents case studies surrounding racial and ethnic disparities in health care, among other topics.
Kaiser Family Foundation
The Kaiser Family Foundation is an independent national health care philanthropy that serves as a nonpartisan source of facts and analysis for policymakers, the media, the healthcare community, and the general public. The Foundation's activities in race/ethnicity and health care are focused on efforts to reduce disparities in health care access and quality. The Foundation also supports the development of new leadership in health policy through the Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program, which annually provides college students of color the opportunity to work in a congressional office with major health policy responsibilities.
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University
The Center covers many areas of applied ethics including bioethics. One main area of research is culturally competent care (health care that is sensitive to the differing values and needs of cultural subgroups within our pluralistic society). The Center identifies real-world ethical issues, analyzes them, and makes the information available through their website, programs, speeches, classes and selected direct engagements with institutions.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation seeks to improve the health and health care of all Americans. It also has a focus on eliminating the gaps in care experienced by racial and ethnic minorities.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to apply knowledge to solve the problems of people. Among its many initiatives are Community Voices, which focuses on health care for the underserved and is managed by the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine and the Health Policy Institute at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
Nonprofit Organizations
American Association of Indian Physicians
The American Association of Indian Physicians is dedicated to pursuing excellence in Native American health care by promoting education in the medical disciplines, honoring traditional healing practices and restoring the balance of mind, body, and spirit.
Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum
The Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum is a national advocacy organization dedicated to promoting policy, program and research efforts for the improvement of the health status of all Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc., works to broaden and elevate the influence of African Americans in the political, legislative and public policy arenas. In addition, the CBCF sponsors issue forums and leadership seminars to stimulate dialogue and educate African Americans in the fundamentals of legislative and public policy development.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute works to develop the next generation of Latino leaders to create an educated and civically active Latino community that participates at the local, state, and federal policy decision-making levels.
Cross Cultural Health Care Program
Cross Cultural Health Care Program uses a combination of cultural competency trainings, interpreter trainings, research projects, community coalition building, and other services to serve as a bridge between communities and health care institutions to ensure full access to quality health care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate.
Diversity Rx
Diversity Rx promotes language and cultural competence to improve the quality of health care for minority, immigrant, and ethnically diverse communities. Their Web site is supported by The National Conference of State Legislatures, and Resources for Cross Cultural Health Care.
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine was established by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public.
Key IOM reports on race, ethnicity and healthcare:
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is a think tank that focuses on a broad range of public policy issues of concern to African Americans and other communities of color. The mission of the Joint Center Health Policy Institute (HPI) is to ignite a “Fair Health” movement that gives people of color the inalienable right to equal opportunity for healthy lives.
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
The National Alliance for Hispanic Health is a network of health and human service providers servicing Hispanic consumers throughout the United States.
National Asian Women's Health Organization
The National Asian Women's Health Organization works to raise awareness about the health needs of Asian Americans through research and education. Its mission is to achieve health equity for Asian women and families.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the United States’ oldest civil rights organization. Its mission is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. The NAACP Health Division focuses on health as a civil right.
National Black Nurses Association
The National Black Nurses Association seeks to provide a forum for collective action by nurses to investigate, define and advocate for the health care needs of African Americans and to implement strategies that ensure access to health care, equal to, or above health care standards of the larger society.
National Black Women's Health Imperative
The National Black Women's health Imperative seeks to improve the health of black women by providing wellness education and services, health information and advocacy.
The National Council of La Raza
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) works to reduce poverty and discrimination and improve life opportunities for Hispanic Americans. NCLR's Institute for Hispanic Health works to alleviate conditions that disproportionately affect Latinos.
National Council of Urban Indian Health
The National Council of Urban Indian Health seeks to meet the unique health care needs of the urban Indian population through education, training, and advocacy.
Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence
The Native Hawaiian Center for Excellence is located at the University of Hawai'i School of Medicine. The center’s mission is to improve the health of indigenous Hawaiians through research, education, service and training of Native Hawaiians in medicine.
National Health Law Program
The National Health Law Program is a national public interest law firm that seeks to improve health care for America's working and unemployed poor, minorities, the elderly and people with disabilities.
National Hispanic Medical Association
The National Hispanic Medical Association provides policymakers and health care providers with expert information and support in strengthening health service delivery to Hispanic communities across the nation.
National Hispanic Nurses Association
The National Hispanic Nurses Association works to serve the nursing and health care delivery needs of the Hispanic community and the professional needs of Hispanic nurses.
National Indian Health Board
The National Indian Health Board is a nonprofit organization that conducts research, policy analysis, program assessment and development, national and regional meeting planning, training and technical assistance programs, and project management. These services are provided to tribes, Area Health Boards, tribal organizations, federal agencies, and private foundations.
National Latina Health Organization
The National Latina Health Organization works towards the goal of bilingual access to quality health care and self-empowerment of Latinas through culturally respectful educational programs, health advocacy, outreach, research and public policy.
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health is dedicated to ensuring the fundamental human right to reproductive health for Latinas, their families and their communities.
National Medical Association
The National Medical Association promotes the collective interests of physicians and patients of African descent, serving as the collective voice of physicians of African descent and a leading force for parity in medicine, elimination of health disparities and promotion of optimal health.
National Minority AIDS Council
The National Minority AIDS Council is a national organization dedicated to developing leadership within communities of color to address the challenges of HIV/AIDS. Their Web site includes publications, public policy information, an online action center, and an HIV/AIDS job bank.
National Native American AIDS Prevention Center
The National American AIDS Prevention Center works to stop the spread of HIV and related diseases among American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians, and to improve the quality of life for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
PolicyLink
PolicyLink is a national nonprofit research, communications, capacity building, and advocacy organization working to advance policies to achieve economic and social equity. Has a focus on work that reduces disparities in low-income communities and communities of color.
UrbanHEALTHCast.com
UrbanHEALTHCast.com features webcasts of health related speeches, lectures, and conferences for and about African American and minority health.