National Health Policy Training Alliance: Homepage

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 ACCESS Community Health & Research Center, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), 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:

expand their capacity to address and catalyze action on crucial health and health care issues;
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
engage diverse leaders in national health policy development.

The National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color will hold a health policy journalism training this September.
Click here for more information.

So You Think You Know Minority Health? is a new interactive game from Families USA's Minority Health Initiative. Based on the classic Jeopardy game, it is designed to test your knowledge of the health disparities facing people of color in America today. Check it out.

The Latest

Families USA Publishes Fact Sheet on Social Security

Building Blocks of Health Reform: The Social Security Example discusses how the Social Security program started out modestly but grew over time, as well as its importance to minority seniors. (March 2010)

Health Reform Resources

We've added a Health Care Reform section to our Resources page. Click here to get the latest information on health care reform issues that affect communities of color.

Dr. Smedley to Participate in Health Care Quality Conference

Dr. Brian Smedley will moderate a featured panel during Charting a Course for Health Care Quality Improvement: Data-Driven Strategies for Eliminating Health Disparities. This national conference will bring together key stakeholders to advance strategies for improved data collection, integration, and disparities measurement to promote health care equity. The conference will take place Thursday, March 25, 2010 from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Click here for more information or to register.

Joint Center Conducting Research on Childhood Obesity

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute (HPI) is conducting research and policy analysis to address racial and ethnic disparities in childhood obesity. In a new fact sheet, Research and Policy Analysis to Address Childhood Obesity, HPI describes their work identifying the root causes of these disparities and identifying evidence-based policy strategies to address them. (March 2010)

Joint Center to Participate in AMCHP Annual Conference

Dr. Jermane Bond will participate in the roundtable session, "Paternal Perspectives: Pathways to Improve Fatherhood Involvement," during the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs annual conference. For more information on AMCHP's 2010 conference, click here. (March 2010)

Families USA Publishes Brief on Language Access

Improving Language Access: CHIPRA Provides Increased Funding for Language Services discusses the increased funding for language assistance services (interpretation and translation) and how states cover these services for Medicaid and CHIP enrollees who are limited English proficient, or LEP. (February 2010)

New Health Reform Fact Sheets from APIAHF

The Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum recently published two fact sheets, Health Care Reform: Likely Impact on the U.S. Territories and the Freely Associated States and Priorities in Health Care Reform for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities. The fact sheets discuss health reform's potential to address disparities in health coverage by providing access to affordable, high-quality health insurance. (January/February 2010)

Joint Center Analyzes Health Equity Provisions in Federal Health Reform Bills

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute, in partnership with the Drexel University School of Public Health Center for Health Equality and Health Management Associates, has analyzed the major health reform bills in the 111th Congress to assess how they address racial and ethnic health and health care inequities. Click here for the latest analysis. (October 2009)

Families USA Analyzes the Latest Census Data

Health Coverage in Communities of Color: Talking about the New Census Numbers takes a closer look at the latest data and finds that communities of color continue to bear the brunt of the uninsured crisis. This fact sheet looks at who is uninsured, poverty levels of different racial and ethnic groups, and why public programs are vital to communities of color. (September 2009)

Health Reform Briefing: "Health Equity: A Moral and Economic Imperative!"

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute hosted a breakfast briefing to discuss the implications of health reform legislation for racial and ethnic minorities and released a preliminary analysis of the economic benefits of addressing health disparities. To view a webcast of the briefing, click here. (September 2009)

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:

Families USA: Melissa Rosenblatt (mrosenblatt@familiesusa.org)
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials: Stephanie Ramirez (sramirez@naleo.org)
National Medical Association: Byron Sogie-Thomas (bsogie-thomas@nmanet.org)
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies: Carla Gullat (cgullat@jointcenter.org)

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