April is National Minority Health Month

Office of Minority Health  April is National Minority Health Month— a time to highlight the health disparities that persist among racial and ethnic minority populations and the ways we can continue the path towards equity. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) works throughout the year to increase understanding and awareness of the gaps in health equity among CMS beneficiaries. This month, we join our colleagues across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in highlighting the role of partnerships in reducing health disparities. Learn how individuals, organizations, and communities can work together and join CMS to improve the health of minority communities across the country. CMS OMH is excited to share a number of activities for the month! In recognition of National Minority Health Month, the CMS Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH), is partnering with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s Office of Behavioral Health Equity to host the Forum on Opioids: Strategies and Solutions for Minority Communities on Wednesday, April 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET to discuss how the opioid epidemic is impacting minority communities and how organizations are partnering to combat the epidemic and address behavioral health. Click here to register. Check out the highlights below for more ways you can join CMS on the path to health equity during National Minority Health Month. Read CMS’s new report, Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage, detailing the quality of care received by people enrolled in Medicare Advantage. This report highlights racial and ethnic differences in health care experiences and clinical care, compares quality of care for women and men, and looks at racial and ethnic differences in quality of care among women and men separately. Submit your health disparities research ideas for the Health Equity Data Access Program. Empower patients to make decisions about their behavioral health through the From Coverage to Care’s A Roadmap to Behavioral Health to help patients learn important information about mental health and substance use disorder services, finding a behavioral health provider, defining behavioral health terms, receiving services, and following up on care. Download National Minority Health Month educational materials directly from the HHS Office of Minority Health. To learn more about what CMS is doing to achieve health equity, please visit https://go.cms.gov/omh.