Great philosophers have debated the meaning of life for centuries. Throughout the discourse on life’s meaning and how to live a life of purpose, you’ll find one central theme: service. That is, the joy we seek in everyday living is found in helping others. When we give of ourselves – our time, our efforts, our hearts, and our minds – we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
As this week marks the end of my tenure as an appointee of the Obama Administration serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and Director of the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), I have been reflecting on this incredible time of public service. I am humbled by the steadfast commitment of leaders and staff to our valiant mission to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans. It has been a remarkable moment of opportunity, and I am proud to have been a part of historic change for health and health equity in our nation.
After a transformational year as a White House Fellow and subsequently serving as the Chief Medical Officer in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, I was honored to join the Office of Minority Health in November 2011, an office steeped in history and of great consequence with a mission to improve health of minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities. The word monumental best describes the changes our nation has experienced in health and health care over the past eight years, and the Office of Minority Health has been on the frontlines of this change.
The Affordable Care Act, one of the most powerful laws in more than 50 years that will help to reduce health disparities and advance health equity, has led to the lowest rate of the uninsured on record including among racial and ethnic minorities. The department released the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities – the most comprehensive federal commitment to reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. And the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities was launched as a nationwide movement to increase the effectiveness of programs that target the elimination of health disparities through the coordination of partners, leaders, and stakeholders committed to action and by bringing attention to the social determinants of health.
As a result of these three strategic priorities, we now have agencies that require disparity impact statements as part of their grant programs; enhanced National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards) that provide a blueprint for health and health care organizations to improve the quality of care and services for our nation’s diverse communities; and unparalleled efforts underway across many sectors, including health, education, justice, housing, labor, and transportation, to address the environmental, social, and economic conditions that impact health.
To this end, the Office of Minority Health is addressing the structural social, economic, and political influences on the health of minority communities. It’s seen in our work with the White House on the My Brother’s Keeper initiative to ensure that all young people can reach their full potential, including boys and young men of color, and the White House Council on Women and Girls to address barriers and open the doors of opportunity for all Americans, including women and girls of color. And it’s seen through the novel partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice on the Minority Youth Violence Prevention grant program to help curb youth violence and improve the health and well-being of underserved and distressed communities. The future of ending health disparities and achieving health equity extends beyond the health sector – it is a future that requires closer attention to and action on the factors that shape the conditions in which people live, play, work, and learn.
That’s why communities remain at the center of the Office of Minority Health’s mission. We meet communities where they are through innovative and effective means of outreach and engagement. Efforts such as the National Workforce Diversity Pipeline grant program, the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander National Health Interview Survey and the American Indian/Alaska Native Oversample in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System help us develop the next generation of the health care workforce and improve the quality and availability of data of these populations. In other efforts, we provide culturally and linguistically appropriate responses to public health crises such as Ebola, the Flint water crisis, Zika, and help lead a national response to community trauma as a result of violence.
All of these endeavors reflect the heart of service of the Office of Minority Health. Improving the health and well-being of minority communities drives us as much today as it did when this office was established more than 30 years ago. The past two years placed a punctuation point in this history, with the 30th anniversary of the Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health (also known as the Heckler Report) and the 30th anniversary of the Office of Minority Health.
The history and impact of the Office of Minority Health have been inextricably linked to our many partners at the federal, national, state, tribal, territorial, and local levels who have been champions for health equity for decades. Over the past five years, I have had the privilege and honor of working with our longtime partners, forging innovative collaborations with new partners, visiting communities across the country, and hearing the unforgettable stories of triumph and challenge of leaders, advocates, and community members ranging from youth to our seniors. This experience left an indelible impression on my mind and my heart and affirmed my belief and optimism that together we can achieve the vision of a nation free of disparities in health and health care, a nation in which everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
In the weeks, months, and years ahead, the Office of Minority Health will continue to lead the charge in improving the health of minority populations and accelerating health equity for the nation. I feel honored and blessed to have helped lead that charge as part of the legacy of this office and will carry what we have achieved together with me always. It is a story and a journey marked by service. And by giving of ourselves, we realize what Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE, is the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and the Director of the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Last Edited: 05/14/2024