CDC - OMHHE - About - Health Disparities - Health Equity - Office - Minority Health

The Image of Equity

Guest Blogger:
Ana Penman-Aguilar, PhD, MPH

Many of my childhood thoughts of equity related to women’s rights. I grew up at a time when girls could think about growing up to do the things that men did. However, women’s roles in society had just begun to shift, and there were still very few publicly visible role models—particularly for girls of color. There was a riddle in circulation at the time that went something like this: A man is in a car accident in which his father is fatally injured. The son is taken to the emergency room and operated upon and it is discovered that he is the surgeon’s son. How can this be?

bout CDC's Office of Minority Health
& Health Equity (OMHHE)

Minority Health Determines the Health of the Nation

CDC's Office of Minority Health & Health Equity (OMHHE) Guiding Principle:

Increasing CDC's Impact on Health Equity

The future health of the nation will be determined to a large extent by how effectively we work with communities to eliminate health disparities among those populations experiencing a disproportionate burden of disease, disability, and death.

Persistent health disparities in our country are unacceptable and correctable.

OMHHE Fact Sheet

1-page summary of OMHHE's mission, goals, structure, & more.

Name & Organizational Alignment

Legislation requires the establishment of an Office of Minority Health within the Office of the Director at six US Department of Health and Human Services agencies - including CDC - with the head of each office reporting directly to the head of each agency.

Although CDC has had an Office of Minority Health in place for over 20 years (formerly the Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities or OMHD), in order to comply with all provisions of the new statute, CDC organizationally re-aligned and re-named its office: Office of Minority Health & Health Equity (OMHHE).

HHS approved all six of these minority health offices in April 2011.

Mission

The Office of Minority Health and Health Equity 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 as at-risk for health disparities.

Compelling evidence that race & ethnicity correlate with persistent, and often increasing, health disparities among US populations demands National attention.

OMHHE's Priority Goals Include the Following:

Reframe eliminating health disparities as achievable.

Facilitate the implementation of policies across CDC that promote the elimination of health disparities.

Assure implementation of proven strategies across CDC programs that reduce health disparities in communities of highest risk.

Advance the science and practice of health equity.

Collaborate with national and global partners to promote the reduction of health inequalities.

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Key Functions & Responsibilities

In carrying out its mission, OMHHE:

Monitors and reports on the health status of vulnerable populations and the effectiveness of health protection programs.

Initiates and maintains strategic partnerships with governmental, non-governmental, national, and regional organizations to advance science, practice, and workforce for eliminating health disparities.