CDC Celebrates Minority Health Month! | CDC Features

CDC Celebrates Minority Health Month!

See below for links to and examples of CDC activities advancing health equity, as well as links to HHS Office of Minority Health activities celebrating Minority Health Month!

CDC Actions in support of the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities

During April, we mark National Minority Health Month by raising awareness about the health disparities that continue to affect minority populations. This year's theme, Prevention is Power: Taking Action for Health Equity emphasizes the critical role of prevention in reducing health disparities.

On April 21, Dr. Leandris Liburd, CDC's Associate Director for Minority Health and Health Equity, will join with Dr. Jonca Bull, Director of the FDA Office of Minority Health, to present a webinar on Advancing the Health, Safety and Wellbeing of the American People.

CDC supports several activities as part of the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Some of these activities include:

Million Hearts

Photo: Mother and daughter flexing muscles

In collaboration with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

, CDC is leading the HHS-wide "Million Hearts Initiative" to enhance community and clinical interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke among all Americans, including minority populations at greater risk for CVD.

Million Hearts has key minority serving organization partners such as the Association of Black Cardiologists, the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, and the South Asian Heart Center. In August 2013, CDC launched the Hypertension Control Challenge to recognize and reward high performing clinicians and health systems around blood pressure control.

For more information, see the following:

HHS Million Hearts Initiative at CDC
- CDC Features: February is American Heart Month

Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CORD) Project

Photo: Young girl holding salad and smiling

In the United States, rates of childhood obesity are high overall, but for minority and low-income communities, they are even higher.

The Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CORD) Projectseeks to determine whether coordinated approaches in the community that support healthy behaviors, including improving: the healthy eating and physical activity opportunities where children spend time, parenting skills, and utilization of preventive services can improve underserved children's health. Based on an integrated systems model of primary care and public health, CORD includes four key components: health care systems and organizations, community health workers, child care (early care and education centers including Head Start) and schools, and communities. CORD sites include communities with a high proportion of children aged 2–12 years who are eligible for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides low-cost health insurance to more than 7 million children from working families.

For more information, see the following:

Overweight & Obesity

CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars (CUPS) Program

CDC supports internship opportunities for qualified undergraduate and graduate students to gain meaningful experiences in public health settings: The CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars (CUPS) program, consists of five internship opportunities that expose undergraduate students interested in minority health to the field of public health research and practice by providing hands-on, project-oriented assignments. It is expected that this exposure to public health programs will heighten interns' awareness of and interest in public health careers. The Dr. James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program is a professional development program that provides hands-on experience for graduate students in medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, and public health master's-level graduate programs.

Reducing Influenza Vaccine Disparities

Through Grassroots Communication and Social Marketing to Promote Influenza Immunization to Disparate Populations, CDC builds partnerships at the grassroots level and across private and public sectors.

The National Influenza Vaccination Disparities Partnership (NIVDP), supported by CDC, is comprised of multi-sector partners working to promote vaccination among underserved populations including African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaska Natives.

The primary goal is to develop long-term partners and promote cross collaboration between community leaders, private sector organizations (e.g., pharmacy chains and health plans), and public sector organizations (medical associations, community-based organizations, and state and local public health departments) to help reduce the impact of influenza among Hispanic, African American, and American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) populations.

For more information, see the following:

Reduce Tobacco Disparities

Photo: You can quit. Tips from Former Smokers campaign.

CDC continues to partner with states and other grantees to work on reducing tobacco use among racial and ethnic minorities. In 2013, CDC funded eight National Networks to assist states and communities to identify populations vulnerable to tobacco use and implement best practices for reducing tobacco-related disparities. Four of the eight National Networks will serve four racial and ethnic minority groups (i.e., African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics). In April 2013, CDC launched a new advertising campaign featuring smoking-related health conditions affecting particular racial and ethnic minority population groups (e.g., African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives and Hispanics).

For more information, see the following: