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Office of Minority Health

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HHS Office of Minority Health partners with national minority-serving organizations to support workforce development


Thursday, October 13,2016
Contact: OMHMedia@hhs.gov

HHS Office of Minority Health partners with national minority-serving organizations to support workforce development

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) announced new partnerships with three national minority-serving organizations to support emerging health professionals and promote workforce development in health and health care. This collaboration will support efforts to increase career opportunities in health care and public health for minority students.

Memoranda of Understanding with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS), and International Leadership Foundation (ILF) support the HHS OMH Youth Health Equity Model of Practice (YHEMOP) which is intended to:

  • Create a healthier nation by strengthening the health and human services infrastructure and workforce.
  • Increase cross-cutting federal and public collaboration to build healthier communities and support organizational capacity growth among organizations dedicated to addressing health disparities.
  • Enhance development of the next generation of emerging health professionals and leaders through direct engagement in health equity work.

HHS OMH launched the YHEMOP in 2015 to support the design, implementation, and evaluation of federal and public health workforce opportunities related to engaging undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students interested in pursuing a career related to health care, public health or health equity.

The new partnerships will provide a cooperative framework for HHS OMH and HACU, HSHPS, and ILF to develop programs and community health equity projects to engage emerging health professionals in a hands-on, field learning opportunity through a short-term, full-time, placement in an organization or institution that promotes health equity and/or addresses health disparities.

HHS OMH is dedicated to working across racial and ethnic minority communities to facilitate the availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate services and the development of a more robust health and human services workforce and infrastructure. A diverse set of organizations will serve as placement sites for the emerging health professionals, including federal agencies, Regional Health Equity Councils of the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities, community based organizations, professional associations, and academic institutions.

The goal of these new partnerships is to foster the provision of health services respectful of and responsive to the needs of diverse patients through workforce development, which can help improve health outcomes and close the gap on racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care.

To learn more about the new YHEMOP partners, see below.

Image result for hacu About Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) was established in 1986 with a founding membership of eighteen institutions. Because of HACU’s exemplary leadership on behalf of the nation’s youngest and fastest-growing population, the Association rapidly grew in numbers and national impact. HACU represents more than 470 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America, and Spain. Although our member institutions in the U.S. represent only 10% of all higher education institutions nationwide, together they are home to more than two-thirds of all Hispanic college students. HACU is the only national educational association that represents Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). For more information about HACU, visit the organization’s website at www.hacu.net.

Image result for hshps About Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools

Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS), headquartered in Washington, DC, is composed of schools of medicine, public health, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry that strive to strengthen the Nation’s capacity to increase the Hispanic health workforce to serve and promote the health of Hispanics. Founded in 1996, HSHPS accomplishes it mission through a combination of diverse and unique programming designed to promote the career and leadership development of Hispanic faculty in the health professions; increase the Hispanic health professional pipeline; and develop culturally and linguistically competent health professionals through institutional partnerships and collaborations. For more information about HSHPS, visit the organization’s website at www.hshps.org.

ILF logo About International Leadership Foundation

The International Leadership Foundation (ILF) is a non-profit organization that promotes the civic awareness, public service, and economic effectiveness of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community. Its mission is to develop young leaders in the United States, Asia, and Pacific Rim countries in the fields of public service, entrepreneurship, and international business and politics through a network of business and community leaders. Since its founding in 2000, ILF has provided scholarships and leadership training for over a thousand select APA college students nation-wide. ILF has a network of national advisory boards and global advisory councils in 15 cities, comprised of professional, civic, business, and community leaders. ILF helps prepare the young generation to become leaders in the public, business, academic, community, and professional fields with programs including: the Civic Fellowship Program, Washington Leadership Program, and International Exchange Program. These programs offer a series of internships, lectures, seminars, and discussions on topics ranging from international business relations to public policy and the legislative process. For more information about ILF, visit the organization’s website at www.ilfnational.org.

10/13/2016 3:06:00 PM