The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) this week announced the availability of nearly $90 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support new data-driven efforts for HRSA Health Center Program-supported health centers and look-alikes to identify and reduce health disparities. HRSA’s modernized data collection and reporting initiative, Uniform Data System Patient-Level…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week issued a proposed rule for inpatient and long-term hospitals, seeking to include three health-equity focused measures in hospital quality programs, solicit stakeholder input related to documenting social determinants of health in inpatient claims data, and establish a “Birthing-Friendly” hospital designation. CMS’ proposed health-equity measures…
Read More »On Thursday, the Biden-Harris Administration released Equity Action Plans from more than 90 federal agencies, including all Cabinet-level agencies, that identify more than 300 concrete strategies and commitments to address systemic barriers in policies and programs that disproportionately impact underserved communities. The equity plans are pursuant to Executive Order 13985 issued by President Joseph R….
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Climate Change and Health Equity Section (CCHES) this week issued its monthly update summary for March 2022. In its update, CCHES highlights funding opportunities through the CDPH Office of Health Equity (OHE), state government updates, public comment opportunities on climate programming, and toolkit resources to support local work….
Read More »The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) recently published a study exploring the prevalence of COVID-19-related discrimination in all major racial and ethnic groups in the United States. COVID-19-related discrimination includes experiences of being threatened or harassed based on someone’s perception of another having COVID-19. Data was…
Read More »A new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) found that since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage provisions beginning in 2010, the uninsured rate among Black Americans under age 65 decreased from 20 percent in 2011 (approximately…
Read More »The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week released a report entitled, “COVID-19: Federal Efforts to Provide Vaccines to Racial and Ethnic Groups” as part of its ongoing oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. GAO examined COVID-19 vaccination efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently partnered with well-known celebrities, influencers, and trusted messengers in promoting COVID-19 vaccines and boosters among populations disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In promoting COVID-19 vaccines among Latino populations in California, CDPH has partnered with celebrated cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz. The Los Angeles-based artist is most known for…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a series of new investments of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to continue support of the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding announcement, according to the White House, is a direct response to the recommendations advanced by the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force which delivered its…
Read More »The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Health Policy Research will host a virtual symposium on Monday, October 4 and Tuesday, October 5 entitled, “Opening Doors for All: Improving Health in Housing and Homelessness.” The symposium will bring together public health leaders, community advocates, policymakers, and other thought leaders to identify past successes…
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