Government

With new laws and health initiatives in place, the Office of Minority Health, led by J. Nadine Gracia, is ready to take health disparities down for good

Under former President Bill Clinton’s administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) set a pattern of tapping minority nurses to serve in key health care policy-making roles. Among them were Beverly Malone, RN, PhD, FAAN, who held the post of deputy assistant secretary for health; Patricia Montoya, RN, MPA, (commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families); and Linda Burnes Bolton, RN, DrPH, FAAN, who served on the National Advisory Council for Health Care Policy, Research and Evaluation from 1992 to 1995.

In June 2001, President Bush launched the HealthierUS Initiative to help improve the health and wellness of all Americans by focusing on four key areas: physical activity, preventive screenings, balanced nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices (such as quitting smoking). Since then, the U.S.

In a keynote address delivered to a recent meeting of the Blue Ribbon Panel to Increase Seat Belt Use Among African Americans, U.S. Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich.) informed the panel that the seat belt campaign was vitally important, not only as a safety issue but also as a health initiative nationwide.

A new program, Get With the Guidelines, is playing an important role in heart disease prevention by significantly increasing the number of health care providers who follow the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for preventing second heart attacks.

During all the recent discussion and debate over President Barack Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus package, we’re heard plenty of talk about things like shovel-ready projects, rebuilding crumbling infrastructure and green energy jobs. But what about nurse-ready projects?

A unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate made it official: Lillian Sparks is the new Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans, a wing of the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Minority nurses are bringing their perspectives from the hospitals of America to Congress, shaping U.S. health care policies.

American Indian nurse scientist John Lowe wanted to know why his Cherokee father had managed to avoid the health problems so often found in Indian communities. Today the answer to that question continues to inspire Lowe’s pioneering research on culturally competent solutions to Native American health disparities.