April is designated as National Minority Health Month to raise awareness about health disparities that racial and ethnic minority groups experience and encourage action to eliminate these inequities.
The history of National Minority Health Month
- Created in 1915, NMHM was originally a week-long acknowledgment of health within Black communities.
- In 2001, the National Minority Health Month Foundation was created. This was in response to the Healthy People initiative created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to promote health and disease prevention.
- In 2002, Congress introduced a resolution encouraging a month to recognize minority health.
Why is NMHM important?
- Data has shown that certain groups tend to experience higher rates of poorer health care and other health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, heart disease, and lower life expectancy.
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines that:
“Many factors contribute to health disparities, including genetics, access to care, poor quality of care, community features (e.g., inadequate access to healthy foods, poverty, limited personal support systems and violence), environmental conditions (e.g., poor air quality), language barriers and health behaviors. These social, economic and environmental conditions where people live, learn, work and play are known as social determinants of health.”
- A comprehensive study released in 2021 found that people of color, and most especially Black Americans, are exposed to higher-than-average air pollution from nearly every type of category studied. EPA data from 2016-2019 revealed that public water systems in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act are 40 percent more likely to service people of color.
- Air and water pollution contributes to higher risk of respiratory illness, asthma, cancer, lead poisoning, other health risks, and even death amongst lower-income neighborhoods, minority communities, and especially Black Americans.
- The racial health gap is not just due to environmental factors. Studies have found that people of color are more likely to face discrimination and lower quality health care at hospitals and doctor’s offices. Even controlling for socioeconomic status, health behaviors, comorbidities, and access to health insurance and services - providers are still less likely to deliver effective treatment to people of color compared to white people.
This NMHM - Give Your Community A Boost
- The theme of NMHM this year is Give Your Community A Boost - encouraging all Americans to get COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
- This theme, as chosen by the Office of Minority Health within the U.S. Department of Health And Human Services, focuses on ending the pandemic, which has disproportionately impacted communities of color. The COVID Tracking Project found that Black people have died at 1.4 times the rate of white people, accounting for around 15 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S through March 2021.
Recent COVID-19 news
- A sub-variant of the Omicron family is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., emphasizing the importance of this year’s National Minority Health Month theme.
- Known as BA.2, the variant represents nearly 86 percent of all cases, according to the World Health Organization. It is more transmissible than other Omicron variants, BA.1 and BA.1.1, which are already highly contagious. However, evidence suggests that it is no more likely to cause severe cases.
- On March 29, the CDC approved a second booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine for people ages 50 and older who received an initial booster dose at least 4 months prior.
- Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC said in a statement:
“Boosters are safe, and people over the age of 50 can now get an additional booster 4 months after their prior dose to increase their protection further. This is especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time.”
Resources
- Interested in learning more about COVID-19 race and ethnicity data in your state? Check out the COVID Tracking Project here.
- The Minority Quality Forum also offers a comprehensive list of online health resources specifically focused on Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American health.
- Learn more about National Minority Health Month and how you can participate here.
-Jamie Epstein and Casey Dawson
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I will do what I can. I went to see the doctor today.
This is just more intent to Divide the USA population by Race and Ethnicity. We have too many of the BS Months. And why is all this Months now, not Days? We need to stop inventing all this Divisiveness. We do have bigger problems. Like Open Borders. We are already Over Populated in the USA. So that tells our President to help Illegal Aliens enter the USA!!! Over 3 MILLION in 14 Months and he is Allowing it to get Worse. How about a Politicians and Officials Enforce Our Laws MONTH?!! POEOL Bill Requiring Politicians and Officials to Enforce our Laws without exception. And when they REFUSE to do so, the Authority to do so automatically falls to our Law Enforcement Agencies at the Federal, State and City/Municipal levels. With Highest Possible Level of Felony Charges AND Removal from Office to those who Have Refused to Enforce our Laws and Uphold our U.S Constitution. Also, we a Law that Requires all Politicians and Officials to Speak Only Truth from the time they Announce Candidacy and the Moment they are announced as a Nominee and/or assigned to an Office/Department of our Government. Again, under Highest Level of Felony Charge AND Immediate removal from Office. How about THAT? Serious Business. Not Month long "Awareness" Campaigns.
Never knowingly support racist causes, especially when they purport to be anti-racist.
Why is causes so racist? Minority health month. Why not human being health month?
Now the whites are being discriminated against. Race is being forced down our throats. I would really like to see actual minority couples like the ones in advertising.
I am against anything that creates, emphasizes, promotes etc more division between us.
60 Mins., I believe, some years ago had a program about IHS (Indian Health Services) and the terrible sexual abuse that occurred through the on reservation health services, from D.C., with the Indian children. I sent them a letter this morning and hope to return with a cheerful update of the wonderful improvements that they have made! Thank you for reminding me about this issue, it has escaped my memory of late.
Not sure what I can do other than support mental health. Just read about Army suicides at Ft Wainwright in Fairbanks. Far too long from diagnosis and getting an appointment.
National MINORITY health month? Truly, let’s just have a anti-white everything century- you always make it about race and wonder why this country is divided- do you think there are no whites that are struggling? That can’t make ends meet? Stop this racist BS - make it fair and equal for EVERYONE
Too many minorities live in healthy food desserts as well as medical care desserts. This causes the minority maternal death rate to be much higher than it should be. It is also the cause of a high infant mortality rate for minorities.
National Minority Health Month is racist. Can I have a National White People Health Month? Instead of focusing on skin color, why don't you promote focusing on the individual and their specific medical issue. All this does to continue to promote racism.
Everymonth we should care about our neighbors health. I find it racist and disgusting that Democrats call them minorities when they are humans and I find it more repulsive that you only care about their health for 1 month. Stop fake caring about neighbors of color just for votes because Democrats are racist.
Sorry, @Robert, your comparison doesn’t take flight. The rocket scientists on the Righteous Right refused to mask and refused to vax. Numbers clearly show the Red States were hit hardest. This is not Joe Biden's fault. It's on them. The information was made available, they could to ignore it or deny it. But, since you need to place blame: Blame He Who Would Be a Nazi and Should Be Wearing an Orange Jump Suit. As he is the leader ultimately to blame as he led his lemmings to the sea of disease, suffering and death. Shine a Light up your butt, lately, anyone, anyone? Have a nice cup of bleach; squeeze of lemon perhaps? I hear a guy has some cheap almost expired hydroxychloroquine. I know another guy who can hook you up with invermectin. BTW–Amazon is still selling colloidal silver, it's just the thing needed for the anti-vaxxer's toolkit. Blame Biden for the Red Deaths Mess? What a joke! The Right can never accept responsibility. After all the Right is always right, right? Sheesh! @Robert wrote: "As I promised since the media and big tech is no longer giving you this information, I was giving you a daily report for the first year so..." Read more here: https://www.causes.com/comments/1527663
I contribute to local food banks. I would have no idea how to dispense knowledge on how to better navigate our healthcare system. I can barely manage it on my own behalf. I will continue to support candidates who support the need for universal healthcare and affordable housing.
If the past two years have proven that we Americans need a national health care program. Health care needs to stop being a profit for the very rich owners of insurance companies. If WE do this, then minority people will get equal treatment.
What’s the leading cause of death of minorities in this country? Abortion Just this past week 5 viable babies were found outside an abortion clinic in Washington DC. That appeared to have been aborted during birth. Did you hear about it? I doubt it. The most vulnerable minorities are these babies and one would think to save those who can’t speak for themselves but our society is so misguided we can no longer see what’s evil versus good.
No. It’s all or nothing. We are supposed to be “One Nation”.
Dear Lord! Will the Biden administration stop at nothing to tout their ‘shots in arms’ for the vaccine and/or booster? I am so sick of the constant nagging on vaccinations. It’s a person’s individual choice. Isn’t that what makes America great?! If the nation is so concerned about ALL of our health and well-being, they would get the water supply in many areas to a drinkable state. They should also look for solutions to solve the problems with health care. I don’t believe that it matters what ethnicity you are; healthcare has been on the decline since the Obama era. This is the stuff we should ALL be concerned about.
As I promised since the media and big tech is no longer giving you this information, I was giving you a daily report for the first year so we could compare one full year of President Trump’s numbers to Comrade dear leader Beijing Biden’s numbers. To recap those number at the end of both their first year here are the numbers on Jan 20th. President Trump Cases 24,717,808 Deaths 274,761 this was with no vaccines until the the last 38 days in office Comrade dear leader Beijing Biden Cases 42,987,522 Deaths 587,979 this was with 3 vaccines since day one. They started counting the coronavirus cases and deaths different now. But here are the numbers at 444 days in office. Cases 55,385,853 Deaths 705,863.
I have been encouraging vaccines for COVID since they became available & will continue to do so. The best thing we can do for people of color, underserved communities, and for that matter all of us, is to provide UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE!!!