Related Guides on this Topic
You may also want to see these guides on related topics:
Tribal Health & Human Services, Migrant
Health
Introduction
When one refers to minorities in the United States, it is generally in reference to African Americans, Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans. In the United States, it has been documented that such minorities have an overall health status of lesser quality than that of non-minorities. The health disparity between minorities and non-minorities has arisen and continued throughout the years due to a variety of factors including poverty and lack of education.
Poverty is more of a problem for minorities than non-minorities in both rural and urban communities. Another issue regarding health disparity is lack of education. Data from the Task Force on Black and Minority Health Care reveals that minorities may not be as informed about as many health concerns as non-minorities. Cultural reasons, social stress, diet, and lifestyle behaviors are factors that can be associated with this health disparity.
Source: Minorities in Rural America: An Overview of Population Characteristics, South Carolina Rural Health Research Center, 2003.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
Arctic Health
Web site
Serves as an information portal to issues affecting the health and well-being of northern-most inhabitants including Alaska Natives.
Asian American Health
Web site
An information portal to issues affecting the health and well-being of Asian Americans in the United States.
Cancer Health Disparities
Web site
Cancer statistics for African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations. Includes information on NCI research activities related to cancer health disparities.
Contextual Health Profile for Rural Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations
Web site
Tool for health planners on culturally competent health programming. The profile is a comprehensive description of the health status of a specific community. Includes community health status information typically in a community health needs assessment, as well as cultural and environmental information.
Delta Resource Project
Web site
Provides information about funding opportunities and a wide variety of other resources to grantees that are part of ORHP's Delta States Rural Development Network program as well as others interested in rural healthcare and well-being in the Mississippi Delta Region.
Disparities - RWJF Publications and Research
Web site
Contains resources on health disparities including journal articles and policy briefs.
EthnoMed
Web site
Provides information about cultural beliefs, medical and other related issues pertinent to the health care of recent immigrants to the United States. Includes these culture-specific pages: Amharic, Cambodian, Chinese, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Hispanic, Hmong, Oromo, Somali, Tigrean, & Vietnamese and covers a wide variety of health topics. Some information is available in languages other than English.
Fast Stats A to Z
Web site
Provides statistical data on various health issues related to minority populations living in U.S. States and Territories. Browse the list of topics for links specific to racial and ethnic groups.
Health Information in Multiple Languages
Web site
Provides access to consumer health information in languages other than English.
HRET Disparities Toolkit
Web site
Provides hospitals, health systems, clinics, and health plans information and resources for systematically collecting race, ethnicity, and primary language data from patients.
HRSA Information Center
Web site
Provides publications, information, resources, and referrals about health care services for medically underserved individuals and populations.
Language and Cultural Access Program
Web site
Established by Asian Health Services to help reduce language and cultural barriers that immigrants face in accessing health care.
National Association of State Offices of Minority Health Directors
Web site
Lists contact information for directors of state offices of minority health.
New Americans Health Information Portal (NAHIP)
Web site
Serves as an Internet portal to identified quality multi-lingual health education documents and as a receptacle for health documents created by Heartland's Refugee Health Programs.
Office of Minority Health
Web site
A resource center that provides publications, articles, statistics, data, funding sources as well as database searches on minority health topics. Can be contacted by phone at 1.800.444.6472, or by e-mail at info@omhrc.gov.
Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHD)
Web site
Provides health-related information on all minority populations living within the United States. Resources provide demographic data, health-related statistics, health disparities, and common health issues.
Race, Ethnicity and Health Care: Access to Care for Vulnerable Populations
Tutorial
Discusses the role of race and ethnicity in health care.
Race, Ethnicity, and Health Care: The Basics
Web site
Contains a reference library with documents regarding demographics; health status; health coverage, access to care, and quality of care; state-level data, and public opinion.
Resource Persons Network
Web site
Provides technical and capacity-building assistance to community-based organizations and institutions on behalf of the OMHRC for the purpose of assisting local efforts to improve minority health.
Rural Health Research: Minority health
Web site
Provides summaries of current and completed rural health research projects and related publications addressing the topic of minority health, produced by the Office of Rural Health Policy's funded rural health research centers.
Rural Minority and Multicultural Health Information Warehouse
Web site
Central source for finding information about rural minority and multicultural health. Lists research studies, reports, journal articles, and rural minority population data. Prepared by the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center with funding from the Office of Rural Health Policy.
State Offices of Minority and Multicultural Health Liaison Map
Web site
Provides contact information for state offices of minority and multicultural health through an interactive map. Includes information for the U.S. Commonwealths and Territories.
USA-Mexico Border Health
Web site
Assists individuals with locating and competing for funding opportunities in order to address health care needs in the U.S.-Mexico Border region. Lists funding opportunities and information resources on topics relevant to border health.
Maps & Map Collections
Hispanic/Latino Populations
Geographic coverage: United States
Printable map that shows the percent of population who are Hispanic or Latino. Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Population and Housing, 2000.
Date: 2000
Minority Populations
Geographic coverage: United States
Printable map that shows the percent of population who are minorities. Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Population and Housing, 2000.
Date: 2000
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Asian/Pacific Islanders and Cardiovascular Diseases: Statistics
Sponsoring organization: American Heart Association
Outlines the leading causes of death among Asian/Pacific Islander men and women.
Date: 2008
Assessing American Indian Long-term Care Needs
Author(s): Steven P. Wallace, William F. Benson, Richard Ludtke, Leander McDonald, Margaret Moss, Yvonne Jackson
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Overviews existing information on long-term care needs of American Indian elders and resources available to help tribes identify their long-term care needs as presented at a workshop for tribal and state health officials.
Date: 2003
Black Male: Why the Mid South Cannot Afford to Ignore the Disparities Facing its Black Men and Boys
Author(s): Chris Crothers, Tim Murphy, Bill Rankin
Sponsoring organization: Foundation for the Mid-South
Describes the status of black males ages 16-44 in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to raise awareness to the disparities and difficulties that they are experiencing. This age group tends to reflect large numbers facing multiple disparities including poverty, low graduation rates, high unemployment, poor health, and high incarceration rates, among others.
Chartbook: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Health of Rural Populations (Executive Summary)
Author(s): Kevin J. Bennett, Bankole Olatosi, Janice C. Probst
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Examines potential disparities among rural populations in health, health behaviors, preventive services and diabetes care.
Date: 06 / 2008
Comparative Study of the Status of Minority Populations in America's Poorest Counties: A Pilot Project
Author(s): Rosemary McKenzie, Michael E. Samuels, Elmer T. Whitler
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Reports on a pilot profile of five counties, using county specific data for each of the five USDA rural high poverty groups that include poverty, race/ethnicity, and health outcome measures.
Date: 09 / 2008
Disparities in Children’s Health and Health Coverage
Sponsoring organization: Children's Defense Fund
Presents facts and figures regarding the health and health coverage of minority children in the United States – Black, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, and American Indian.
Date: 2008
Eight Americas: Investigating Mortality Disparities across Races, Counties, and Race-Counties in the United States
Author(s): Christopher J. L. Murray, Sandeep C. Kulkarni, Catherine Michaud, Niels Tomijima, Maria T. Bulzacchelli, Terrell J. Iandiorio, Majid Ezzati
Describes a study that used race, location of the county of residence, population density, race-specific county-level per capita income, and cumulative homicide rate to divide the U.S. population into eight distinct groups, in order to explore the causes of the health disparities among these groups. Includes life expectancy comparisons among groups, with several groups specifically identified as rural.
Journal citation: PLoS Medicine Volume 3 Issue 9
Date: 09 / 2006
Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: A Business Case Update for Employers
Sponsoring organization: National Business Group on Health
Explores key causes of health disparities in the U.S. and its workforce.
Date: 02 / 2009
Five Basic Facts on Immigrants and Their Health Care (Summary)
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Addresses how immigrants use and affect the health care system, and includes key facts about immigrants and health care.
Date: 03 / 2008
Health Coverage and Access to Care Among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Examines the health coverage, access to health care, and health status of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander ethnic groups in the United States, and finds that certain subgroups are doing worse than others in terms of health insurance coverage and access to health care.
Date: 04 / 2008
Health Coverage and Access to Care for Hispanics in "New Growth Communities" and "Major Hispanic Centers"
Author(s): Peter Cunningham, Michelle Banker, Samantha Artiga, Jennifer Tolbert
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Describes health insurance coverage and access to health care for Hispanics as the Hispanic population grows and moves beyond urban centers to rural and smaller urban communities. Compares Hispanics with non-Hispanic whites in these communities.
Date: 09 / 2006
Health, United States, 2008: With Special Feature on the Health of Young Adults
Author(s): Michael O. Leavitt, Julie Louise Gerberding, Edward J. Sondik
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
Uses tables and narrative to present trends and information regarding the Nation's physical and mental disability status, level of education and income, demographic distribution, health insurance coverage and expenditures, health behaviors and risk factors, and the utilization and access to health care. Includes data on Rural Health Clinics and on non-metropolitan (rural) areas.
Date: 12 / 2008
Hispanics/Latinos and Cardiovascular Diseases: Statistics
Sponsoring organization: American Heart Association
Outlines the causes of death among Hispanic/Latino men and women.
Date: 2008
Improving Access to Language Services in Health Care: A Look at National and State Efforts
Author(s): Melanie Au, Erin Fries Taylor, Marsha Gold
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Assesses emerging national efforts to address language barriers and profiles work in three states—California, Minnesota, and New York—to highlight challenges, successes, and implications for future policy and activities related to providing language services.
Date: 04 / 2009
Key Facts: Race, Ethnicity and Medical Care, 2007 Update
Author(s): Cara James, Megan Thomas, Marsha Lillie-Blanton, Rachel Garfield
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
A reference source on the health, health insurance coverage, access and quality of health care of racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
Date: 01 / 2007
Key Health and Health Care Indicators by Race/Ethnicity and State
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Shows variations across states and racial and ethnic groups for six key health and health care indicators including rates of infant mortality and diabetes-related mortality and AIDS cases.
Journal citation: Academic Medicine
Date: 04 / 2009
National Healthcare Disparities Report, 2008
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Includes a national overview of disparities in health care, including quality of care and access to health care.
Date: 03 / 2009
National Plan for Action
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Captures the status of health disparities in our country and proposes 20 strategies for their elimination.
Date: 12 / 2009
New Requirements for Citizenship Documentation in Medicaid
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Provides information on the new federal requirement that all U.S. citizens and nationals applying for or renewing their Medicaid coverage provide documentation of their citizenship status and examines the implications for Medicaid beneficiaries and the states.
Date: 03 / 2007
Profile of American Indians and Alaska Natives and Their Health Coverage
Author(s): Cara James, Karyn Schwartz, Julia Berndt
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Examines the health coverage, access to care and health status of American Indians and Alaska Natives across the country.
Date: 09 / 2009
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Hospital Patient Safety Events, 2005
Author(s): C. Allison Russo, Roxanne M. Andrews, Marguerite Barrett
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Presents data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on racial and ethnic disparities in rates of hospital patient safety events that are potentially preventable. Sampling stratifiers include hospital region, bed size, ownership, teaching status, and urban/rural location.
Date: 06 / 2008
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in U.S. Health Care: A Chartbook
Author(s): Holly Mead, Lara Cartwright-Smith, Karen Jones, Christal Ramos, Kristy Woods, Bruce Siegel,
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
Presents evidence linking racial and ethnic health disparities to the overall performance of local health care systems.
Date: 03 / 2008
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Issue paper providing an overview of racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States and in rural areas of the U.S. Discusses strategies that can be used to address health disparities and includes policy recommendations.
Date: 05 / 2006
Services for Hispanic Children and Families
Author(s): Beth A. Stroul
Sponsoring organization: National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health
Summarize issues and challenges of providing mental health services for children and their families from diverse populations.
Date: 07 / 2006
Strategic Framework for Improving Racial/Ethnic Minority Health and Eliminating Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities
Intended to help guide, organize and coordinate the systematic planning, implementation and evaluation of efforts within OMH, DHHS and across the nation to achieve better results relative to minority health improvements and health disparities reductions.
Date: 2006
Substance Abuse Treatment Need and Use Among Hispanics
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Examines the need for and receipt of alcohol and illicit drug use treatment among Hispanics aged 12 or older, based on combined 2002 to 2007 data.
Date: 07 / 2009
Organizations
CDC Office of Minority and Women's Health (OMWH)
Federal government
Works to assure that the burden and impact of infectious diseases among racial and ethnic minorities and women is acknowledged and addressed through research, surveillance, education, training, and program development. Part of the National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDC's Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities (OMHH)
Federal government
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 to be at-risk for health disparities.
Indian Health Service (IHS)
Federal government
Provides federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Works to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level. Part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Migrant Health Promotion
National organization
Builds on community strengths to improve health in farmworker and border communities through peer health education, increase access to health resources and bring community members together with health providers, employers and policymakers to create positive changes.
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
National organization
Mission is to improve the health and well being of Hispanics. The Alliance informs consumers, supports health and human service providers in the delivery of quality care, improves the science base for accurate decision making by promoting better and more inclusive research, promotes appropriate use of technology, insures accountability, advocates on behalf of Hispanics, and promotes philanthropy. Information in English and Spanish.
National Alliance of Multi-Ethnic Behavioral Health Associations (NAMBHA)
National organization
Promotes the behavioral well-being of people of color and to eliminate disparities in behavioral health services and treatment through policy reform, culturally appropriate research and consumer involvement.
National Association of State Offices of Minority Health (NASOMH)
National organization
Works to improve the effectiveness of State minority health/health disparity programs. It is a National nonprofit organization that focuses on the development and transference of skill sets to increase awareness of health and service disparities, monitor the progress of State offices; and communicate, document, and champion best practices at the State level in eliminating health disparities.
National Rural Health Association: Minority and Multicultural Affairs
National organization
Focuses on minority health issues in rural areas. This is a committee of NRHA.
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