April Is National Minority Health Month

4/1/2003

From: Cleve Mesidor of National Minority Health Month, 202-347-3820

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- April is National Minority Health Month! To improve the health status of minority populations in the country, Congress passed a concurrent resolution in October of 2002 to identify April as the "National Minority Health and Health Disparities Month...established to promote educational efforts on the health problems currently facing minorities and other health disparity populations."

National Minority Health Month (NMHM), the organization, will kick off the month with its Second Annual Awards Dinner in Washington, DC. States all over the nation have planned events in minority communities during the month of April.

"NMHM made a commitment to change the playing field in health for ALL Americans. This awareness initiative targets minority communities to offset the serious outcomes of health disparities. By building collaborations through local coalitions and imploring evidence based research, NMHM seeks to help target and focus existing resources directly to those affected," said Dr. Gary Puckrein, Program Director of National Minority Health Month.

The organization was conceived in response to and in support of Healthy People 2010, a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its focus is to raise awareness of and implement initiatives to reduce the problem of the minority health disparities among Blacks and African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians at the community level. The nationally recognized, annually recognized month, is intended to serve as the impetus to raise awareness of and implement initiatives to reduce the problem of the minority health disparities throughout the year.

At the leadership of NMHM are three key nationally recognized health reformers: Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston, former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General and former Director of the Bureau of Primary Health Care; and Dr. Gary A. Puckrein, Publisher of American Visions Magazine.

Since the conception of NMHM, the Governors of eight states have signed proclamations designating April as Minority Health Month. During the 107th Congress, the United States Senate and House of Representatives passed a resolution (H.Con.Res.388), which calls upon the President to proclaim the month of April as National Minority Health Month.