Health Disparities Center
Health Disparities Centers are institutions in the United States that cover a broad range of needs and focus areas to decrease currently disproportionate illness and disease rates that lead to health disparities. They also promote the engagement, empowerment and recruitment of underrepresented populations in health professions. Many programs devote significant resources to developing cultural competency training to promote the delivery of culturally sensitive healthcare by faculty and staff, as well as current and future healthcare providers. These services are usually tailored to meeting specific goals or missions of the individual components common in most of the operating  Health Disparities Centers. History. The Minority Health and Health Disparities Act of 2000, Public Law 106-525 led the way for an innovative program established by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCHMD). This program, originally entitled the Project EXPORT, now bears the title of the NCMHD Centers of Excellence (COE) Program. The mission of this program is to develop centers of research, training, partnership and community outreach in the field and study of health disparities. Through grant support from the NCHMD, these centers contribute to scientific advancements and community programs with the aim of eliminating health  disparities. Successful centers are currently operating in 31 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Many of these centers are made in partnerships with research-intensive universities, medical colleges and institutions, historically black colleges and universities, universities that serve Hispanic populations, tribal colleges and liberal arts schools. As of 2007, the NCMHD COE program had supported the development of 37 centers. Health disparities continue to be major issue in the United States, Target populations. It is a common misconception that Health Disparities Centers are tailored primarily for minorities, but in actuality their mission extends to  a wide range of groups. These include age, gender, ethnicity, geographical location, language barriers, or any other differences related to socioeconomic status or environmental factors. However, the largest disparities are most prominent in minority groups. According to the Healthy People 2010 Objectives list of ten largest Racial and Ethnic disparities: Organizational components. Research component. The focus and importance of addressing growing national health disparities represents a relatively new shift in health research. Both the NCMHD Research Endowment Program and the Community-Based Participatory Research Program are initiatives to promote awareness and research incentives for those interested in studying specific health  disparities and the effectiveness of current outreach programs. Major research concentrations currently being studied include, but are not limited to, conditions such as HIV/AIDS, obesity, diabetes, specific types of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and child health promotion. A few examples of specific research studies that have been conducted through a partnership of Health Disparities Centers are as follows: Education and mentoring component. As disproportionate burdens of certain diseases and health conditions among specific populations are a growing concern, so is the need for widespread education and training for both the public and health professionals alike to be able to cope  with, and prevent the occurrence of growing disparities in their communities. Health Disparities Centers across the nation are active in implementing educational resources that range from undergraduate and graduate coursework, postdoctoral training opportunities, conference or seminar series, and diversity and cultural competency training programs. Additionally, these centers are devoted to the recruitment and retention of research scientists and healthcare practitioners from racial/ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities and socio-economically disadvantaged individuals. Many institutions support faulty mentoring of underrepresented students who are interested in completing community-based participatory research on health disparities. Community outreach component. The community outreach component  of Health Disparities Centers provides the essential link between advancements in research and implementing significant findings directly into the communities being studied. Emphasis has also been placed on giving target populations affected by health disparities access to health information in a community setting where they feel comfortable to have sensitive health queries addressed. A major goal of Health Disparities Centers is to give the public the knowledge and encouragement necessary to empower them to promote a healthy lifestyle in their homes and communities and be proponents for their own healthcare. Health Disparities Centers also may partner with grassroots and community -based organizations that can serve mediums to disburse educational materials and provide valuable information about the needs of the community to the centers. Examples of successful community outreach programs established by national Health Disparities Centers are provided below. Administration component. The administration component of numerous Health Disparities Centers is responsible for the oversight and management of all center initiatives and programs and ensures the fiscal responsibility of the institution. It is also common for the governing body of a health disparities center to manage grants and collaborative partnerships between the center and various university, hospital or community entities. Social justice  implications. Health Disparities Centers promote the concept of social justice which is a key facet of sustainability. The process of eliminating health disparities involves breaking language barriers, improving access to health-care, stamping out violence, and alleviating poor health conditions associated with a life of poverty. An example: Environmental justice implications. Environment factors contribute to health disparities. Environmental justice refers to the burden that certain groups experience due to the physical environment that encompasses there day-to-day lives. People in different geographical locations may experience health disparities due to pollutants in the food or air, stress factors caused by  their physical environment, and availability of different resources. Many health disparity centers have programs to promote a cleaner environment and healthy lifestyles, preventing disparities caused by the environmental. A few examples: