National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) will host the National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health on January 9-11, 2006 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The Summit is part of the Office of Minority Health’s (OMH) broader initiative to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. The landmark 1985 Report of the HHS Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health created OMH and served as an impetus for addressing health inequalities for racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. This Summit marks the 20th year since the establishment of OMH and is intended to promote best practices and collaborative actions that are vital to improving minority health in the future.

1. Highlight current and emerging research and related efforts to illuminate understanding of and solutions to eliminating racial/ethnic disparities in health;
2. Showcase promising practices, models that work and lessons learned;
3. Assess racial and ethnic minority community needs, strengths, and actions necessary to close the disparity gaps; and
4. Develop recommendations and strategies for future directions.

The Summit is designed around the following six tracks:

1. Health Care Access, Utilization, and Quality;
2. Healthcare and the Public Health Workforce;
3. Research, Data, and Evaluation;
4. Health Information Technology;
5. Health Disparities Across the Lifespan; and
6. Culture, Language, and Health Literacy.

It is expected that the Summit will bring together over 2200 leaders from all levels of government, academia, public health, mental health, minority-serving institutions, and minority communities to advance key issues and opportunities for improving minority health and closing the health gap. Information on the upcoming Summit can be accessed on the OMH’s summit website.