Minority Health Improvement and Health Disparity Elimination Act

Bill: 109-s-4024
Sponsor: Sen. Frist, William H. [R-TN]
Introduced: 2006-09-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Arizona
Asthma
Authorization
Black colleges
Cancer
Cardiovascular diseases
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Clinical trials
College teachers
Commerce
Communication in medicine
Community health services
Conferences
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Data banks
Dental care
Department of Health and Human Services
Diabetes
Discrimination in medical care
Drug abuse
Drug abuse treatment
Drugs
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Education of the disadvantaged
Educational statistics
Evaluation research (Social action programs)
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to child health services
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to health facilities
Federal aid to research
Federal employees
Genetic research
Genetics
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Health education
Health information systems
Health planning
Health warnings
Hereditary diseases
Higher education
Hispanic Americans
Hospitals
Housing and Community Development
Indian children
Indian education
Internet
Latin America
Maternal health services
Medicaid
Medical education
Medical ethics
Medical libraries
Medical records
Medical research
Medical screening
Medical tests
Mental depression
Mental health services
Mexico
Minorities
Minorities in medicine
Minority health
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
New Mexico
Pharmaceutical research
Physicians
Preventive medicine
Product safety
Public health personnel
Quality of care
Research centers
Research grants
Right of privacy
Rural health
Scholarships
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Strategic planning
Student loan funds
Texas
Translating and interpreting
Vaccination
Women

Summary:
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: 
Minority Health Improvement and Health Disparity Elimination Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) provide for the development of an Internet Clearinghouse within the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparity Elimination; (2) provide for programs of excellence in health professions education for underrepresented minorities in health professions; and (3) support demonstration projects designed to improve the health and health care of racial and ethnic minority and other health disparity populations through improved access to health care, patient navigators, and health literacy education and services.
 
Provides for grants to: (1) design, implement, and evaluate culturally and linguistically appropriate, science-based and community-driven sustainable strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic health and health care disparities; and (2) implement systems of primary care practices to eliminate disparities in the delivery of health care and improve the health care provided to all patients. 
 
Requires the Secretary to establish the Community Health Initiative demonstration program to support comprehensive state, tribal, or local initiatives to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority and other health disparity populations.
 
Provides for grants or contracts for research to improve the health of racial and ethnic minorities and other health disparity populations.
 
Requires the Secretary to ensure the collection of data from federally conducted or supported health programs by race, ethnicity, geographic location, socioeconomic position, primary language, and, when practicable, health literacy.
 
Establishes an Office of Minority Health and Health Disparity Elimination and transfers to it functions of the Office of Minority Health. Requires the Secretary to establish the Advisory Committee on Minority Health and Health Disparities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced:  CR S10697-10710)
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10696)
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Introduced in Senate