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Health Equity for Diverse Populations

OHE works to reduce health disparities for socially disadvantaged and underserved populations.

This includes:

African Americans

Leading health disparity indicators for African Americans—the second largest minority group in the US—include heart disease, infant mortality, and diabetes.

We address their most prevalent needs by partnering with stakeholders to reduce the burden of health conditions and improve health equity.

Who are our federal partners?

Read the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)'s report:
Chartbook on Health Care for Blacks: National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (PDF - 3 MB)

Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations are among the most diverse and fastest growing in the U.S. and its associated territories. They have roots in dozens of countries and are often multilingual. They include people who recently immigrated and people whose families have been in the U.S. for generations. They identify ethnically and as American. They work in a variety of professions. Contrary to stereotype, there is a wide range of socioeconomic status and educational attainment among them. HRSA recognizes these factors as some of the key social determinants of health for these populations. 

Who are our partners?

Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations provides national training and technical assistance to support the needs of health centers, primary care associations, and other health care networks to increase access to care, improve health outcomes, and promote health equity among Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program
We give scholarships to Native Hawaiians pursuing careers in primary and behavioral health disciplines.

Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program
The Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program is a program that promotes diversity among the health professions. Underrepresented Asian subpopulations (other than Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Asian Indian, or Thai) will be considered for priority points.

Native Hawaiian Health Centers
Native Hawaiian Health Centers improve the health status of Native Hawaiians by providing access to health education, health promotion, and disease prevention services. Services provided include nutrition programs, screening and control of hypertension and diabetes, immunizations, and basic primary care services.

White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders
The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), headquartered in the Department of Health and Human Services, is charged with driving an ambitious, whole-of-government agenda to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AANHPI communities.

U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands
We provide grants and technical assistance to improve the health of communities in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). The USAPI region includes the Freely Associated States of the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and Republic of the Marshall Islands and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. Our report highlights the agency’s financial investments within the USAPI as part of a more comprehensive report that is published federal government-wide.  

Hispanics and Latinos

We provide information on culturally competent resources to reduce the burden of health disparities in the Hispanic/Latino population.

Who are our federal partners?

Review NIH's research:
National Institutes of Health (NIH): Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (2006 - 2018)

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+)

The nation’s LGBTQ+ population often face discrimination and other barriers when accessing health care, especially if they also identify as people of color. We provides technical assistance to health centers, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Care providers, and many other health professionals to equip them with the skills and knowledge to provide equitable care to LGBTQ+ individuals and their families. 

Who are our partners?

The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center provides educational programs, resources, and consultation to health centers with the goal of optimizing quality, cost-effective health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and all sexual and gender minority (LGBTQIA+) people. 

Mental Health and LGBTQI+ Resources for Kids and Families
This collection of behavioral health resources includes free or low-cost training on a variety of topics.
 
AETC National Coordinating Resource Centers
The AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) Program supports national HIV priorities by building clinician capacity and expertise along the HIV care continuum.

TargetHIV 
TargetHIV is the central repository for technical assistance resources for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP). You can access tools, training materials, manuals, and guidelines developed by and with support from our HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB), which administers RWHAP services.

Healthy People 2030
Healthy People focuses on collecting data on LGBT health issues and improving the health of LGBT adolescents in particular.

Reports
The National Academy of Medicine Consensus Study Report: Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation (March 2022)
The report offers principles of data collection, guidelines for collecting sex and gender data, and criteria for selecting recommended measures for sexual orientation identity. The report recommends specific questions that can be used within the general adult population to assess sexual orientation identity, sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and to identify people with transgender experience and intersex traits. 

Read a summary of the Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Report (PDF - 259 KB).

Areas of Focus

Date Last Reviewed: