HHS to host National Minority Health Month Health Equity Summit

Friday, April 24, 2015

Contact: OMHMedia@hhs.gov

HHS to host National Minority Health Month Health Equity Summit
National leaders to discuss improvements during past 30 years and remaining challenges to health equity

What:National Minority Health Month HHS Health Equity Summit: a gathering of national leaders for the 30th anniversary of the 1985 Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health (known as the Heckler Report.)The event will be hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Who:HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell
HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health Dr. J. Nadine Gracia
Former HHS Secretary Margaret Heckler
16th U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher
When:1:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT on April 27, 2015
Where:Cannon Caucus Room, 345 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Live Stream:The HHS Health Equity Summit will be live-streamed. Click here to register for the event.
Background:The Health Equity Summit is HHS’s flagship observance of National Minority Health Month and the 30th anniversary of the landmark 1985 HHS Heckler Report, which was the first comprehensive study of the health status of racial and ethnic minorities conducted by the U.S. government and elevated minority health onto the national stage. The summit is part of a year-long commemoration, under the National Minority Health Month 2015 theme,“30 Years of Advancing Health Equity; The Heckler Report: A Force for Ending Health Disparities in America.”The purpose of the summit is to demonstrate how the Heckler Report has served as a driving force for monumental changes in research, data, legislation, policy and programs to advance health equity at the national, state, tribal, territorial and local levels. Summit discussions will also engage participants on strategies for accelerating health equity to address the needs of our nation’s growing diverse communities.
Media Access:To coordinate a media interview, contact the HHS Office of Minority Health via email at OMHMedia@hhs.gov or call 202-577-7557.