FDA Office of Minority Health Summer Newsletter

FDA Office of Minority Health

Let's Dive Into Summer

Summertime has officially arrived and FDA Office of Minority Health (OMH) has information to help keep you and your family safe and healthy this season. Check out our updates to learn about our upcoming events and catch up on anything you may have missed.

In Case You Missed It:

Veterans and Clinical Trials Campaign

FDA Office of Minority Health (OMH) joined forces with the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Health Equity within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to release two new public service announcement (PSA) videos on the importance of having diverse participants in clinical trials. Veterans can face unique health challenges, and diverse participants are needed in clinical trials to ensure that medical products, like medicines, vaccines, and devices are safe and effective for everyone.

We also launched our new podcast series to discuss minority health issues and the ways in which we are working to reduce health disparities. The first episode featured a discussion with the stars of the PSA videos, U.S. Army veterans Retired Command Sergeant Major Zulma Santiago and Retired Staff Sergeant Quinyardo McClain, in which they explain the importance of veteran participation in clinical trials. You can listen to the podcast here and you can watch the PSA videos featuring Retired Command Sergeant Major Santiago and Retired Staff Sergeant McClain on our YouTube playlist.

National Minority Health Month

In April, we celebrated National Minority Health Month by highlighting the agency's work in reducing health disparities. This year's theme for National Minority Health Month was "Partnering for Health Equity." In recognition of that theme, our office hosted Dr. Thomas LaVeist, chairman of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public Health, as part of our OMH Health Equity Lecture Series. OMH also participated in HHS OMH's observance event, and the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) "Aware for All" educational event and health fair, which was held at Howard University. You can view our National Minority Health Month video message and blog post for the occasion.

Clinical Research Summit in Puerto Rico

On May 9, 2018, FDA Office of Minority Health, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, the Medical Sciences Campus of Universidad de Puerto Rico, Universidad Central del Caribe, Ponce Health Sciences University, the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust (PRSTRT), and the Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation (PRCCI) co-organized the first Puerto Rico Clinical Research Summit in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The summit was well attended by over 200 stakeholders and focused on three key areas of clinical research: Diversity in Clinical Trials, Quality and Compliance of Clincal Investigations, and Emergency Preparedness: Lessons from Maria. The robust discussion generated an exchange of ideas on how to implement sustainable and tangible solutions to improve diversity in clinical trials.

New Menu Labeling

Did you know that food and beverages consumed away from home add a lot of calories to our diets - as much as one-third of a person's daily intake? Research shows that people often underestimate the number of calories they're taking in when they eat out. As of May 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requiring certain types of eating establishments to post calorie information on menus and menu boards to help consumers make informed food choices. This regulation will also apply to chain restaurants and retail food establishments with more than 20 locations...read more.

World Sickle Cell Day

FDA OMH observed World Sickle Cell Day on June 19, 2018 by continuing to raise awareness about the disease's impact on minority communities. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited blood disorder in the U.S., and it primarily affects African Americans (1 in 365) and Hispanic Americans (1 in 16,300). It is a chronic condition that can cause severe pain, organ damage, or even stroke. You can learn more about sickle cell disease by reading our fact sheet and watching our diversity in clinical trials videos on YouTube. The videos feature an FDA Patient Representative and advocate who is living with sickle cell disease.

What You Need To Know:

Tick and Lyme Disease 

Tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease are on the rise. Reported cases in the United States increased from about 12,000 annually in 1995 to approximately 36,000 per year from 2013 - 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC). As reported cases are only a fraction of actual cases, CDC believes the true number of infections is likely closer to 300,000. Read the rest of our Consumer Update, which is available in both English and Spanish, and learn how to keep you and your family safe: https://go.usa.gov/xQutD.

5 Tips for a Healthy Vacation

Planning your next beach vacation? Check out FDA's Consumer Update to learn about the best safety practices to make the most of your fun in the sun. Learn about the importance of staying hydrated, how to properly use sunscreen, how to care for contact lenses, and much more: https://go.usa.gov/xQutn.

HIV Testing Day is June 27th

June 27, 2018, marks the 23rd observance of National HIV Testing Day! On this day, we highlight the importance of knowing your status and knowing the testing options that are available. You can take part by visiting FDA's website and learning about HIV testing. We also encourage you to locate a testing center in your area by using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) website:https://gettested.cdc.gov/.

Patient Focused Drug Development Meeting on July 9th

FDA is hosting a public meeting on Patient-Focused Drug Development for Chronic Pain. FDA is interested in hearing patients' perspectives on chronic pain, views on treatment approaches, and challenges or barriers to accessing treatments for chronic pain. FDA is particularly interested in hearing from patients who experience chronic pain that is managed with analgesic medications such as opioids, acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antidepressants, other medications, and non-pharmalogic interventions or therapies. Register now.

Upcoming Conferences

The OMH team and regional public affairs specialists are hitting the road this summer exhibiting at multiple health conferences and meetings. View the tentative schedule of events below to see if you can stop by and grab some of our educational materials. Follow us on Twitter at @FDAOMH for the exact location of our presentations and exhibit booths!

• July 7-8 Unidos U.S. (formerly known as National Council of La Raza) National Latino Family Expo in Washington, DC
• July 31-August 3 National Association of Hispanic Nurses Annual Conference in Cleveland, OH
• July 31-August 5 National Black Nurses Association Conference in St. Louis, MO
• August 11-15 National Medical Association Convention in Orlando, FL