Dr. Brian Smedley will participate in a webinar discussion on strategies used for adoption and implementation of policies and approaches that address health equity. The webinar will draw on promising practices from federal, state health agencies, tribal entities, and other community partners.

Health equity is an economic issue as well as a social justice issue. Significant inequities and disparities exist between different racial/ethnic groups, socioeconomic classes, geographical location, and in social determinants of health such as poverty, education, inadequate housing, and unsafe working conditions. The burden of health inequities constitutes a huge financial and social cost to our nation in terms of the quantity and quality of life.

During this webcast, participants will:

• Increase awareness of the economic impact of health equity and opportunities to inform federal, state, tribal, and local partners.
• Understand the unique opportunities to address the economic impact of health equity with partners in tribal health and other racial/ ethnic groups.
• Increase sharing of best and promising practices and policies in the economic case for health equity.

REGISTER HERE.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies will hold a briefing on Tuesday, June 12, 2012, at which we will launch a new report, “Race and Ethnicity Data Collection:  Beyond Standardization.”  The briefing at the Joint Center will feature a discussion with the report’s author, Brooke Cunningham, M.D., Ph.D., a fellow in General Internal Medicine and Greenwall Fellow at the Berman Institute of Bioethics at the Johns Hopkins University.

Many healthcare professionals, researchers and policymakers are unclear as to how and why racial and ethnic factors are relevant in medicine and health research.  And despite new federal requirements for standardized race and ethnicity data collection, federal guidelines do not address the difficulties that researchers and policymakers have interpreting race and ethnicity data.

Dr. Cunningham’s report provides an overview of race and ethnicity that is intended to build a foundation for a more accurate understanding of the mechanisms through which race and ethnicity impact health.  Her review of these concepts reiterates the social nature of race, clarifies the difference between race and ethnicity and explains why race is not biological or genetic.

Following Dr. Cunningham’s presentation, a distinguished panel of respondents will offer commentary.  The panelists include, Vence Bonham, Associate Investigator in the Social and Behavioral Research Branch of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and Senior Advisor to the NHGRI Director on the Societal Implications of Genomics; and Roderick Harrison, Senior Research Fellow, Civic Engagement and Governance Institute, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and Associate Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at Howard University.

Lunch will be provided. Space is limited. To attend, RSVP to hpibrownbag@jointcenter.org.

Child advocates will meet in Washington, D.C., for a conference exclusively for Voices for America’s Children members and KIDS COUNT grantees. The conference, Turning Point for Kids: Our Decisions, America’s Future, will be held Wednesday, June 27th through Friday, June 29th at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.

HPI's Dr. Jermane Bond is scheduled to be a presenter at this event on June 27, while Dr. Brian Smedley will speak on June 28.

For more information, please visit Voices for America's Children.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies today joined forces with the National Minority Quality Forum to create a database that will offer lawmakers and community activists access to important data on local health and environmental conditions.

As a result of this collaboration, local civic and political leaders, other community activists and residents will have a powerful visual tool to assist them in communicating their concerns about health and environmental burdens in their neighborhoods.  Additionally, it will enable those making health and environmental decisions to better target their actions by understanding where these problems are most severe and where the most help is needed.

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The 95819 and 95817 ZIP codes, which encompass much of east Sacramento and Oak Park, respectively, share a border. Each has about 15,000 residents. But an analysis performed by the nonprofit Valley Vision on behalf of local hospitals in 2010 showed that Oak Park residents are more than three times as likely to go to the emergency room for asthma, diabetes or high blood pressure.

Given the potential of mobile broadband to play an outsized role in reducing the burden of chronic disease in communities of color, policymakers and healthcare institutions should seek to facilitate its use among minorities, according to a report released today by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.  

The report, “Minorities, Mobile Broadband and the Management of Chronic Diseases,” is part of a long-term research effort by the Joint Center Health Policy and Media and Technology Institutes aimed at improving the health and well-being of people of color, particularly by addressing the geographic, financial, cultural and linguistic barriers to quality health care and to specialty treatment.

The report can be found here.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is pleased to share an important new report, Minorities, Mobile Broadband, and the Management of Chronic Diseases, prepared by the Joint Center Media and Technology Institute and the Health Policy Institute with support from the UnitedHealth Group Foundation. This report considers the vast potential of mobile broadband technologies to help address some of the nation’s most pressing health concerns, and therefore is relevant and timely for policymakers’ consideration as the federal government implements the Affordable Care Act.

Violence is among the most serious health threats in the nation today. It is a leading cause of injury, disability, and premature death; and a significant disparity disproportionally affecting young people and people of color. Violence is preventable. It can be significantly reduced through a public health approach which addresses the underlying causes. This approach engages youth to create new opportunities for participation, fosters leadership and economic opportunity, and dismantles barriers to peaceful streets and connected neighbors.

• Evidence on what works to prevent violence
• Lessons from local public health departments
• Contributions of public health to preventing violence

• Deborah Prothrow-Stith, MD, UNITY Co-Chair, Harvard School of Public Health

The first ever National Institutes of Health Minority Health Promotion Day will take place on Thursday, April 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the NIH Clinical Center. The daylong celebration, themed "Working Together to Improve Minority Health: Building Healthy Communities," will commemorate National Minority Health Month.

Dr. Brian Smedley of the Health Policy Institute will moderate a panel entitled The Social Determinants of Health in Health Disparities: Can We Afford to Ignore Them? from 1 to 3 PM in Masur Auditorium.

For more information, visit the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

Dr. Brian Smedley of the Health Policy Institute will moderate a Congressional briefing entitled "Research and Prevention: Closing the Chronic Disease Gap in Minority Populations" on Wednesday, April 18 at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. This briefing is sponsored by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Gastroenterological Association, Association of Black Cardiologists, and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.