Secretarial Statement on National Minority Health Month 2012
Despite the progress our nation has made over the past 50 years, racial and ethnic minorities still lag behind the general population on many health fronts. Minorities are less likely to get the preventive care they need to stay healthy, more likely to suffer from serious illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease and colon cancer, and they are less likely to have access to quality health care.
The Affordable Care Act, in conjunction with the Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and the National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity that HHS released one year ago, addresses the needs of minority populations and other under served groups, by bringing down health care costs, investing in prevention, and supporting improvements in primary care and Medicare. As a result of the health care law, we are making strides in giving every American regardless of race or ethnicity a fair shot at quality, affordable health coverage.
More than 1.2 million Latinos, Blacks, Asian Americans and American Indian/Alaska Natives have gained coverage because the Affordable Care Act allows young adults without employer-provided insurance to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26. Many Americans can now get such key preventive services as mammograms, cancer screenings and flu vaccinations with no co-pay or deductible, a significant barrier in the past to many in minority communities. Insurance companies cannot discriminate against children under 19 for pre-existing conditions, and in 2014, that protection will cover adults, as well.
The new health care law also prohibits lifetime dollar limits on how much care an insurance company will pay for and is phasing out annual dollar limits. Small businesses, the economic driver in many minority communities, can now get tax credits to help pay for insurance coverage for their employees as a result of the Affordable Care Act. The health care law also strengthens Medicare for our seniors with many free preventive services, including a free annual wellness visit with your doctor, a 50 percent discount on covered brand-name medications for those in the prescription drug “donut hole,” and strong anti-fraud measures.
The theme for National Minority Health Month this year is “Health Equity Can’t Wait. Act Now in Your CommUnity.” We are a nation of communities and we depend on each other. By recommitting ourselves to eliminating the serious and substantial health disparities faced by racial and ethnic minority Americans, we are investing in our entire nation’s physical and economic well being.
To learn more about National Minority Health Month and what the Department of Health and Human Services is doing to reduce minority health disparities and achieve health equity, see http://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/Actnow/
Female Condoms: The Untold Sexy and Cost Saving Prevention Method
This week the journal AIDS and Behavior published study findings stating that the Washington, D.C. female condom education and distribution program is a cost effective strategy for reducing new HIV infections. The data overwhelmingly demonstrated that dollars invested in the program resulted in a cost savings of more than $8 million due to the prevention of nearly 23 HIV infections. The program is administered by the Washington AIDS Partnership (an AIDS United Community Partnership) and the D.C. Department of Health. The Living Affected Corporation was among the first local community based organizations to offer educational modules on the usage of female condoms. The organization encompassed the modules as the S. H. E. concept (pictured) which encouraged women to further their understanding on the effectiveness and preventive measures that the items offered in relation to sexually transmitted diseases. The female condom is an essential safer sex option for all genders seeking to protect the health of themselves and their partners. It is the only receptive partner initiated HIV, STI, and pregnancy prevention tool available. The female condom can be used for vaginal or anal sex.
The study’s findings shatter the notion that female condoms and not a worthwhile expenditure for HIV prevention programs. The reality is female condoms work.
Lead author and chairman of the Department of Health Behavior and Society at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, David Holtgrave, stated in the Washington Post that “When we think about what it means for a city or state to have a comprehensive HIV program, this study really says you ought to include female condoms as one element of a comprehensive program because it’s acceptable, effective and cost-saving.”
Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York City, and San Francisco have launched similar programs focused on increasing awareness, acceptance, and use of female condoms through equipping community educators, health care professionals, case managers, and other services providers with skills necessary to effectively promote female condoms within their communities. Each of these jurisdictions reports greater acceptance of female condoms among end-users and increased willingness among providers to promote them as a result of their work. Other jurisdictions are currently laying the groundwork to launch their own programs.
The energy and enthusiasm around female condoms has increased tremendously since the new and improved female condom, the FC2, hit the market in 2010. Last year each of the female condom programs in the U.S. came together to launch the National Female Condom Coalition to increase awareness, access, and use of female condoms through education, advocacy, and collaboration. The Coalition now counts approximately 40 health departments and organizations dedicated to sexual health and reproductive justice, gay men’s health, HIV prevention, family planning, and HIV-positive women from across the country. This study will further strengthen advocacy efforts to ensure women and men in the U.S. and around the world are aware and can access this highly effective, pleasurable, and cost-effective prevention tool. To obtain more info contact: info@lacorponline.org or call 1.877.902.7HIV
For more information about the National Female Condom Coalition, email jterlikowski@aidsunited.org. (source material courtesy of AidsUnited.org)
LA Corp Seeking Board Members
The Living Affected Corporation is seeking qualified individuals who are willing to foster a positive experience in governing and executing fundraising initiatives to fulfill the organizations mission and vision. Individuals will be required to attend board meetings, develop strategic growth pathways, networking, fund raising, and serving as an organizational ambassador while addressing the issues of holistic sexual health approaches within marginalized communities. Only committed individuals need forward their resumes. For immediate consideration forward your information to The Living Affected Corporation, c/o Board Positions P.O. box 46558, Little Rock, AR 72214-6558
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