HHS unveils plan to address racial, ethnic health disparities

The Department of Health and Human Services has outlined goals and actions the agency will take to help reduce health disparities among ethnic and racial minorities.

The HHS Action Plan to Reduce Health Disparities provides a common set of goals and objectives for public and private providers to create new partnerships and initiatives that will leverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The strategy is a product of the National Partnership for Action and was coordinated by the HHS' Office of Minority Health.

[See also: Study supports universal coverage to reduce health disparities; Minorities and low-income Americans are less likely to seek care when sick]

“Health disparities have burdened our country for too long,” said Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, the HHS assistant secretary for health. “This plan reaffirms and revitalizes a national commitment to helping all persons reach their full health potential.”

The plan builds on provisions of the ACA which will help address the needs of racial and ethnic minority populations by lowering healthcare costs, investing in prevention and wellness, supporting improvements in primary care and fostering cooperation between healthcare providers and social service agencies.

Goals for reducing disparities and actions to meet these goals include activities to

• Transform Healthcare – steps include expanding insurance coverage, increasing access to care through development of new service delivery sites and introducing quality initiatives such as increased use of medical homes.
• Strengthen the Nation’s Health and Human Services Workforce – Steps include a new pipeline program for recruiting undergraduates from underserved communities for public health and biomedical sciences careers, expanding and improving healthcare interpreting and translation and supporting more training of community health workers.
• Advance the Health, Safety and Well-Being of the American People – Steps include implementing the Centers for Disease Control’s new Community Transformation Grants and targeted efforts to achieve improvements in cardiovascular disease, childhood obesity, tobacco-related diseases, maternal and child health, flu and asthma.
• Advance Scientific Knowledge and Innovation – Steps include implementing a new health data collection and analysis strategy (authorized by the ACA) and increasing patient-centered outcomes research.
• Increase the Efficiency, Transparency and Accountability of HHS Programs – Steps include ensuring that assessments of policies and programs on health disparities will become part of all HHS decision-making. Evaluations will measure progress toward reducing health disparities.

“Where people live, learn, work and play affects their health as much as their access to healthcare,” said Garth Graham, MD, MPH, deputy assistant secretary for minority health and director of the HHS' Office of Minority Health. “We have to confront the social, economic and environmental factors that contribute to health disparities."

The strategy set forth by NPA was based on the ideas, comments and suggestions of individuals and healthcare organizations from across the country. In conjunction with the plan, the HHS Office of Minority Health is also launching new web pages to provide information and tools for organizations and individuals working to reduce healthcare disparities.