Grant, Efforts Seek To Address Racial, Ethnic Health Disparities
The following highlights efforts that seek to reduce racial and ethnic health care disparities.
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IHS: HHS has announced that Indian Health Service will receive $500 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to help fund construction and modernization of IHS health facilities, improve health information technology at those facilities and improve the clean water supply, the Native American Times reports. According to the Times, the act includes $227 million for health facilities construction, $100 million for maintenance and improvements, $85 million for health IT, $68 million for sanitation facilities construction and $20 million for health equipment (Pierce, Native American Times, 3/24).
- San Antonio: The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Humana to develop a discount health insurance plan called the Viva Su Salud Health Plan, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The health plan would be for chamber members with at least two to 99 employees and would include coverage for one annual checkup, as well as hospital and specialty physician services. The plan also would provide an online health-risk assessment and discounts on fitness club memberships and prescription drugs (San Antonio Express-News, 3/18).
- St. Louis: A group of six nursing students have partnered with 100 Black Men of St. Louis and a professional nursing sorority to launch the "Trimming Away Hypertension" program, which targets black men in local barbershops for high blood pressure education, the AP/Washington Examiner reports. The nurses ask the men for basic family history information and other information to evaluate their health risks and perform diagnostic tests. Participants receive educational material and healthy recipes and can return to the barbershop for subsequent tests (AP/Washington Examiner, 3/25).
- Tampa, Fla.: The American Heart Association, the American Stroke Association and local chapters of the National Black Nurses Association held the fifth annual Heart and Spirit of Women Conference, which is designed to "tap into the spirituality of those who attend and get them to associate biblical teachings with the care of their bodies," the St. Petersburg Times reports. About 300 women, mostly black, attended the conference, which focused on giving participants information about prevention of heart disease and how to address smoking, obesity and diabetes (Moore, St. Petersburg Times, 3/24).