Conversations in Equity

Dr. Liburd hosts a CDC Blog to share and exchange perspectives and progress in the science and practice of health equity.

From CDC's Office of Minority Health & Health Equity (OMHHE)

April 23, 2013

Latest Blog Post

From CDC's Office of Minority Health & Health Equity (OMHHE)

Past Blog Posts

January 2013

Reflections, Revisions, Renewals

November 2012

Wanted: A Workforce to End Health Disparities

"I just didnt want to hear any more bad news..."

Gathered in the parking lot of my hometown church, family and friends were “catching up” with each other before leaving the annual “Homecoming” service and dinner. While in the parking lot, I overheard a conversation between two cousins. One was sharing that she had attended two funerals the day before, and her husband had been ill for several months. Caring for her husband, maintaining a full-time job outside the home, and responding to the needs of her adult children and grandchildren had taken their toll on her physically and emotionally. She also commented that she was experiencing back pain but decided it was only arthritis. In this cultural context, arthritis is a minor, recurring and mostly annoying pain that is associated with aging. She had recently celebrated her 51st birthday. Her cousin asked if she had gone to see the doctor about the pain in her back, and she replied, “No, I just didn’t want to hear any more bad news."

About CDC's Office of Minority Health
& Health Equity (OMHHE)

Minority Health Determines the Health of the Nation

CDC's Office of Minority Health & Health Equity (OMHHE) Guiding Principle:
Increasing CDC's Impact on Health Equity
The future health of the nation will be determined to a large extent by how effectively we work with communities to eliminate health disparities among those populations experiencing a disproportionate burden of disease, disability, and death.
Persistent health disparities in our country are unacceptable and correctable.
OMHHE Fact Sheet

1-page summary of OMHHE's mission, goals, structure, & more.

Name & Organizational Alignment

Legislation requires the establishment of an Office of Minority Health within the Office of the Director at six US Department of Health and Human Services agencies - including CDC - with the head of each office reporting directly to the head of each agency.

Although CDC has had an Office of Minority Health in place for over 20 years (formerly the Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities or OMHD), in order to comply with all provisions of the new statute, CDC organizationally re-aligned and re-named it's office: Office of Minority Health & Health Equity (OMHHE).

HHS approved all six of these minority health offices in April 2011.

Mission

The Office of Minority Health and Health Equity aims to accelerate CDC’s health impact in the U.S population and to eliminate health disparities for vulnerable populations as defined by race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, geography, gender, age, disability status, risk status related to sex and gender, and among other populations identified as at-risk for health disparities.

Compelling evidence that race & ethnicity correlate with persistent, and often increasing, health disparities among US populations demands National attention.

OMHHE's Priority Goals Include the Following:

Reframe eliminating health disparities as achievable.
Facilitate the implementation of policies across CDC that promote the elimination of health disparities.
Assure implementation of proven strategies across CDC programs that reduce health disparities in communities of highest risk.
Advance the science and practice of health equity.
Collaborate with national and global partners to promote the reduction of health inequalities.