Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity (CIIHE)
On September 29, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) announced it has awarded two organizations $4 million to support its Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity (CIIHE). The awards will support a five-year initiative to advance sustainable solutions that address Indigenous health disparities and advance health equity in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities.
“American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations experience a high burden of health disparities or differences in health outcomes compared to other populations,” said Rear Admiral Felicia Collins, M.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and OMH Director. “Thus, we are pleased that the Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity will continue to develop, implement, and evaluate culturally appropriate approaches for reducing and eliminating these disparities through partnerships with academic institutions, Indigenous leaders, and community members.”
Established in 2021, the CIIHE supports research, education, service, and policy development that address health disparities in AI/AN and NHPI populations. These disparities are associated with inequities in areas such as health literacy, food security, health care access, and environmental exposures. Through the new awards, the CIIHE will implement innovative and culturally appropriate frameworks to prevent and improve disparities in chronic diseases, such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.
The awardees are:
| Award Recipients | City | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences | Tulsa | OK | $2,000,000 |
| University of Hawai'i | Honolulu | HI | $2,000,000 |
| Total: | $4,000,000 | ||
Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative
On September 28, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) announced $2.1 million in grants to three organizations for the Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative. The awards will support a three-year initiative to implement HHS fellowships that provide training in health equity issues and leadership to early career individuals.
"There is a pressing need for HHS fellowship opportunities that equip individuals with the skills and knowledge to advance health equity through policies, programs, and practices addressing the social determinants of health," said Rear Admiral Felicia Collins, M.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and OMH Director. “This initiative is expected to develop a cadre of federal public health professionals with leadership skills and competencies necessary for addressing health disparities and improving health outcomes for racial, ethnic, tribal, and other disadvantaged populations.”
Racial and ethnic minority, American Indian/Alaska Native, and other disadvantaged populations experience health disparities in receiving preventive health care and treatment for chronic conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes. Establishing and implementing public health equity training programs is an important mechanism for addressing these health disparities and advancing health equity.
The awardees are:
| Award Recipients | City | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennedy Krieger Children’s Hospital, Inc. | Baltimore | MD | $700,000 |
| National Hispanic Medical Association | Washington | DC | $700,000 |
| The George Washington University | Washington | DC | $700,000 |
| Total: | $2,100,000 | ||
Healthy Families Community-Based Perinatal Health Initiative (COPHI)
On September 27, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) announced that it has awarded more than $13 million in grants to 11 organizations for its Healthy Families Community-Based Perinatal Health Initiative (COPHI) to develop innovative models for integrating community-based maternal support services into perinatal systems of care.
Considerable health disparities exist for pregnant and post-partum people. Black and American Indian/ Alaska Native women are three and two times more likely, respectively, to die from pregnancy-related complications than non-Hispanic White women. Hispanic women also experience higher rates of severe maternal morbidity compared to non-Hispanic White women.
Community-based maternal support services or COMSS are social and supportive services that address social determinants of health (SDOH), such as health literacy; pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting education; cultural and linguistic diversity; exposure to trauma; housing; food; and transportation. These services are provided during pregnancy, labor, and delivery and after delivery by trained individuals, such as doulas and community health workers. COMSS have been documented to be beneficial in assuring a continuum of care and improving health outcomes for pregnant and post-partum persons.
The awardees are:
| Award Recipients | City | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health Foundation Enterprises, Inc. dba Heluna Health | City of Industry | CA* | $1,249,815 |
| The Regents of the University of California, Irvine | Irvine | CA | $1,228,564 |
| Clayton County Health District | Jonesboro | GA | $1,250,000 |
| Boston Public Health Commission | Boston | MA | $1,190,425 |
| Henry Ford Health System | Detroit | MI | $1,230,000 |
| Saint Francis Medical Center | Cape Girardeau | MO | $1,116,106 |
| University of Nebraska Medical Center | Omaha | NE | $1,015,069 |
| The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey** | Trenton | NJ** | $1,250,000 |
| Washington County | Hillsboro | OR | $1,229,998 |
| Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island | Providence | RI | $1,230,119 |
| Bexar County Hospital District dba University Health | San Antonio | TX | $1,249,903 |
| Total: | $13,240,000 | ||
**Project implemented in Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico.
National Lupus Outreach and Clinical Trial Education Initiative
On September 29, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) announced more than $1.9 million in grants to four organizations for its National Lupus Outreach and Clinical Trial Education Initiative. Over a three-year period, awardees will identify and sustain effective interventions to advance clinical trial diversity and to ultimately reduce health disparities experienced by racial and ethnic minority individuals with lupus.
“Although opportunities exist to participate in clinical trials, clinical trials for lupus have had limited success in recruiting participants from racial and ethnic minority communities,” said Rear Admiral Felicia Collins, M.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and OMH Director. “This community-driven initiative will help decrease barriers to clinical trial recruitment and enrollment by addressing patient mistrust of the medical and research community and increasing awareness of the benefits of clinical trials.”
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in different tissues of the body, which may in turn lead to permanent tissue damage. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, about 9 out of 10 people diagnosed with lupus are women aged 15 to 44. African American women are three times more likely to be diagnosed with lupus, and they may develop the disease at a younger age and have more serious and life-threatening complications than non-Hispanic white women. Clinical trials play a key role in identifying and developing new and better treatments for individuals with lupus.
The awardees are:
| Award Recipients | City | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| American College of Rheumatology | Atlanta | GA | $499,999 |
| Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. | Washington | DC | $500,000 |
| National Minority Quality Forum, Inc. | Washington | DC | $500,000 |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | NY | $498,100 |
| Total: | $1,998,099 | ||