To mark the start of National Minority Health Month, the Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will host a Townhall to observe a Health Equity Day of Unity and to discuss how the Affordable Care Act and the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities are advancing health equity in minority communities across the nation.
Speakers, including Dr. Howard K. Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, and Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, the new Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, will discuss progress made under the HHS Action Plan at its one year anniversary.
The directors of the new Offices of Minority Health, created by the Affordable Care Act, will share how they are implementing the Action Plan and leading their agencies’ initiatives on health disparities. Community-based organizations will showcase how they are working in unison with federal disparity reduction efforts and applying strategies at the grassroots level.
Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, Assistant Secretary for Health, HHS
J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, HHS Office of Minority Health
Francis D. Chesley, Jr., MD, Director, Office of Extramural Research, Education, and Priority Populations, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Cara V. James, PhD, Director, Office of Minority Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Michelle Allender-Smith, MS, RN, Director, Office of Health Equity, Health Resources and Services Administration
John Ruffin, PhD, Director, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health (invited)
Larke N. Huang, PhD, Director, Office of Behavioral Health Equity, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Juliet K. Choi, JD, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, Office for Civil Rights, HHS
A.Toni Young, Executive Director, Community Education Group
Shari L. Curtis, Director of Community Health Access, District of Columbia Primary Care Association
Cesar Palacios, Executive Director, Proyecto Salud Clinic (invited)
