Welcome to the National Health Policy
Training Alliance for Communities of Color
Racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States continue to experience major differences in health status, treatment, and outcomes when compared to whites. The forces that contribute to health disparities are complex, ranging from broader societal issues such as poverty, racism, and hazardous environments, to health system factors such as lack of health care coverage, lack of workforce diversity, and a weakening safety net. Oftentimes, when vital health policies and programs are being debated, the voices of communities of color are left out.
The National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color was created to make clear the link between efforts to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities and the role of health policymaking, as well as to ensure that community leaders have the tools, information, and resources they need to address these issues. This initiative is a unique partnership between Families USA, the Joint Center Health Policy Institute (HPI), the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, and the National Medical Association (NMA). It is generously funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The overarching mission of the Alliance is to empower community leaders, elected officials, and journalists from communities of color with pertinent information about health policy developments in order to:
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expand their capacity to address and catalyze action on crucial health and health care issues;
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bolster the skills of leaders from communities of color to play a more influential role in shaping and creating health policies that are of relevance to their respective communities; and
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engage diverse leaders in national health policy development.
The Latest from the Health Policy Training Alliance
NALEO Releases Electoral Profiles
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) has released a series of electoral profiles. Voter profiles are currently available for AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, NV, NM, NJ, and NY. These profiles are downloadable from their main web page. These electoral profiles make clear the pivotal role of Latinos in the 2008 elections.
National Medical Association's 2008 Colloquium
The annual NMA Colloquium will be held from March 9-11, 2008, at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. This year's theme is "The Nation's Obesity Crisis: Practical Solutions for the African American Community." The colloquium is a leadership training and advocacy forum for physicians. It is designed to conduct focused explorations of critical health policy issues that affect African Americans, and to provide a forum for the development of NMA health policy positions to be advanced at the local, state, and federal levels. Click here to view information and videos from past colloquiums. For more information on the Colloquium, please contact Byron Sogie-Thomas at bsogie-thomas@nmanet.org.
Analysis of Presidential Candidates and Health Care for Our Communities
On behalf of Having Our Say (HOS), a statewide coalition working to ensure that communities of color have a voice in the health care reform debate and that the solutions provide equal access to all Californians, the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) has developed a grid that analyzes the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates' health reform plans. Using HOS's health care reform principles, as well as information from the candidates' Web sites, this analysis highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the different reform proposals and examines whether or not they address the specific needs of communities of color.
NALEO Presidential Candidate Forum
On June 30, 2007, NALEO hosted the NALEO Presidential Candidate Forum as part of their 24th Annual Conference in Orlando, FL. Each candidate was questioned by NALEO members during the two-hour moderated forum. Click here to view the candidate forum. Additionally, the Alliance has compiled a list of presidential candidate forums that particular address the issues and concerns of communities of color.
Internship and Fellowship Opportunities
Each of the Health Policy Alliance partners sponsor various internship and fellowship programs for advocates, journalists, health providers, and students. Please contact the following individuals for information on their organization’s internship and fellowship programs:
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National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials: Marcella Martinez (
mmartinez@naleo.org)
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