In Iiving Color and More

The Living and Affected Corporation commends the various intergovernmental agencies that have partnered with our organization in the fight to eliminate health disparities in people of color communities and among marginalized populations. It has been a distinct part of our mission to offer testing opportunities as well as direct information within the Black MSM sector. Through our organization we have championed the issue of social determinants impact on individuals on their quest to access care. Our H.E.F.T.E. concept, outlines that housing, educations, food, treatment and equality are components that have to be apart of the holistic approach in the care continuum. We stand on the premise that we must embrace a person from a whole perspective and not define them from disease vantage point. It is our vision to fostering a Wellness Institute that will serve a clearinghouse of care, social justice concerns and a source of critical thinking concerning the equity of the health care paradigm. Please feel free to contribute to our efforts through purchasing our publications or forwarding a tax-exempt donation through our web portal: www.livingaffected.org


Eliminating Disparities in HIV/AIDS

By J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health (Acting), Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

As we commemorate National Minority Health Month during April, we recognize that this is truly a moment of unprecedented opportunity for health equity – including equity in HIV prevention and care.
One year after the launch of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’ first-ever Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and the National Partnership for Action’s National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity, the Federal government is embracing a renewed commitment to health equity.
One area of importance is reducing disparities in HIV infection and care for racial and ethnic minorities, who accounted for almost 71 percent of newly diagnosed cases of HIV infection in 2010 among adults and adolescents in the 46 states with mature HIV reporting, according to CDC’s latest data. While blacks represent 12 percent of the population of the 46 states, for instance, they accounted for 46 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2010. Latinos, who represent about 16 percent of the population, accounted for 20 percent of new HIV diagnoses that year. In addition, while they represent much smaller shares of newly diagnosed HIV infections, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders were diagnosed with HIV at higher rates than their white counterparts in 2010, according to the CDC’s 2010 HIV Surveillance Report. (HIV/AIDS rates among Asian Americans are lower than those found in any other racial and ethnic group.)
The fight against these disparities has drawn momentum since the release of the National

J. Nadine Gracia

HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). Released by the President in July 2010, the NHAS declares that “a national response to the HIV epidemic needs to be mindful of the size, diversity, and richness of our country, as well as the needs of the most affected communities. The NHAS not only represents the nation’s first-ever comprehensive HIV strategy; it is also the first time that HIV-related disparities have been acknowledged at such a high level, and targeted with strategies focused on support for underserved communities. The Office of Minority Health is proud to be among the agencies and offices across HHS working together to provide a more coordinated response to HIV/AIDS in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Affordable Care Act is helping to ensure better care for people living with HIV/AIDS. With greater options for stable, affordable health insurance coverage; protection from insurance company abuses; and increased opportunities for health and well-being, people living with HIV/AIDS will benefit from a health care system that puts consumers first.
Most recently, HHS announced the availability of $15 million in funding for community-based organizations across the country that provide care and critical services to people living with HIV and AIDS through both supplemental and new funding in the Ryan White program. By improving and increasing access to care for people living with HIV, this initiative will help to reduce HIV-related health disparities – a critical objective in the implementation of the NHAS.
And at the Office of Minority Health, we are developing policies and programs to address the burden of HIV/AIDS on communities of color. For instance, our HIV/AIDS Health Improvement for Re-Entering Ex-Offenders (HIRE) Initiative seeks to bridge HIV-related health care gaps by linking HIV-positive ex-offenders who are re-entering the mainstream population to comprehensive health care and case management services.
But even as these initiatives spur progress, one thing is clear: realizing our vision of an AIDS-free generation will depend on far more than leadership by government agencies. In the fight against the national HIV epidemic, everyone is a stakeholder. And everyone can take action.
This year, we have designated the theme for Minority Health Month to be “Health Equity Can’t Wait: Act Now in Your CommUNITY!” – a call to action for stakeholders everywhere to join in raising awareness about health disparities and health equity. To find out more, and join in the movement, visit http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/actnow/.