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CMS Health Equity Quarterly

VOLUME 14 |  Summer 2024












Director's Message

It is with great excitement and gratitude that I introduce myself as the new Director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) and CMS’ first Chief Health Equity Officer. As I step into this role, I am humbled and inspired by the work done and the potential to create meaningful change in this country's health landscape together.

I have been working in this field for many years and my commitment to advancing health equity is deeply personal. Having witnessed firsthand the impact of health disparities on the lives of my grandparents and my mother, these experiences have not only shaped who I am but also drive my work. My goal in this new role is to ensure that no other families in our nation face similar suffering due to avoidable health inequities.

In my short time as the director of CMS OMH, I have been impressed by the dedication and passion our office and network of dedicated partners bring to advancing minority health and health equity.

Achieving health equity is not just a goal but a journey. It requires us to address systemic barriers, promote inclusive practices, and ensure that every individual has the opportunity to attain their highest level of health so that individuals don’t have to suffer from these kinds of disparities.

Looking ahead, we are excited to continue this work, and build upon our existing policies, programs, and initiatives to advocate for equitable health outcomes and support overall health. I urge you to remain engaged and continue to share your valuable insights, experiences, and feedback are invaluable as we strive to create a more equitable health landscape.

"- Dr. Martin Mendoza"

*Research and Data Programs * [ https://www.cms.gov/priorities/health-equity/minority-health/research-data ]






Research and Data Updates

CMS OMH maintains a series of data snapshots, data highlights, and other reports. This quarter, CMS OMH released a new Sexual Orientation Among Medicare Beneficiaries Living in the Community infographic [ https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mcbs-sexual-orientation-among-medicare-beneficiaries-living-community-infographic-2023.pdf ] based on data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.  

*_Research and Data_*

*Equity Initiatives*

CMS is dedicated to promoting health equity and wants to share the following updates from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  


* The recently released the United States Core Data for Interoperability Version 5 (USCDI v5) [ https://www.healthit.gov/isp/united-states-core-data-interoperability-uscdi#uscdi-v5 ]. USCDI v5 includes 2 new data classes and 16 new data elements that support improved patient care and advance the Administration’s goals of equity, diversity, and access to health care. The accompanying Standards Bulletin 24-2 (SB24-2) [ https://www.healthit.gov/topic/standardsbulletin_24-2 ] describes ONC’s continued expansion of USCDI, following the same prioritization approach applied to USCDI v4. SB24-2 also reflects ONC’s consideration of submissions for new data elements and comments on previously submitted data elements.
* In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) joined agencies across the federal government in prioritizing communication in its services to the public by releasing its department-wide Language Access Plan. With the release of its plan, HHS took a giant step towards ensuring people with limited English proficiency (LEP) and people with disabilities have greater access to the life-saving services that it provides. Click here to view the HHS press release and click here to view the CMS Language Access Plan [ https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.hhs.gov%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fcms-language-access-plan-2024.pdf/1/0101019138544c42-99848120-9cd8-4048-a61a-12a7546090c0-000000/jAYlO1I818UJIvPwvx6-tuentMG5rqR4e1xePa7g9ZY=365 ].

*Health Equity Programs* [ https://www.cms.gov/priorities/health-equity/minority-health/equity-programs ]




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Partner Updates

CMS is committed to working with stakeholders across the country to ensure our initiatives align with the needs of the diverse populations they serve. One of our commitments to partners is through the Coverage to Care initiative.

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of Coverage to Care (C2C) [ https://www.cms.gov/priorities/health-equity/c2c ]. Since the beginning of the initiative in 2014, C2C has helped consumers understand their health coverage and connect them to the primary care and preventative services that are right for them. It also gives health care providers, partners, and other community groups the tools they need to help consumers stay engaged in health care for a healthy life.

C2C is a constantly evolving initiative, we’ve been working on updating C2C resources including:


* The C2C Overview Fact Sheet [ https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cms-2024-c2c-overview-factsheet-version-6.pdf ] that is now available in English and Spanish;
* The Returning to the Community: Health Care After Incarceration: A Guide for Health Care Reentry [ https://www.cms.gov/files/document/reentry-english.pdf ] resource that is now available in 6 languages; and
* The Manage Your Health Care Costs resource has been updated to be more user friendly and updated to reflect the current C2C look and feel.

These resources enhance accessibility and health literacy, benefiting both partners and consumers. CMS will continue our work to support partners, consumers, and reach communities across the nation through fairs, festivals, and other grassroots events to help consumers understand their health coverage and use it for a long and healthy life.

*CMS OMH Grants and Awards*

CMS OMH is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Health Equity Award. The Health Equity Award is awarded to organizations working towards advancing health equity by showing others how to reduce disparities in health care access, quality, and outcomes.

The CMS Health Equity Awardees were recognized at the CMS Health Equity Conference on May 29-30, 2024, you can watch the award ceremony here [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jt0W8tuDSk&list=PLaV7m2-zFKphiogsAhouOcF3JFnve4Wsm&index=3 ].

The 2024 Health Equity Award Recipients are:


* *Latino Connection* [ https://latinoconnection.org/ ]*,* Harrisburg, PA, "Community-Accessible Testing & Education (CATE) Initiative: "In 2014, George Fernandez founded Latino Connection in Pennsylvania to address the social determinants of health in low-income communities. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they launched the Community-Accessible Testing & Education (CATE) initiative to provide essential resources and education to underserved populations, including minorities, low-income individuals, LGBTQ+ communities, and urban residents. The impact of CATE has been profound, reaching thousands of Pennsylvanians with lifesaving resources and education. Between 2020 and 2022, nearly 9,000 COVID-19 tests and over 17,000 vaccinations were administered across the state, particularly in vulnerable and underserved communities who may not have had access otherwise. CATE also provided 500 flu shots and 10,000 PPE kits, resources, and education in both English and Spanish to the more than 37,000 people that attended all of their community events combined. Latino Connection's CATE initiative exemplifies the transformative power of community-driven interventions in addressing health disparities.
* *Augusta Health,* [ https://www.augustahealth.com/ ] Shenandoah Valley, VA, "Primary Care Mobile Clinic Program. "Augusta Health, a 255-bed non-profit hospital in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, has been offering personalized care for 30 years. To address health care access issues, they launched the Primary Care Mobile Clinic program in September 2022. The clinic operates at 14 unique sites each month. Sites have included community centers, churches, a firehouse, the mayor’s office, and homeless shelters. Site selection is based on identifying communities in the most need through analysis using the University of Wisconsin’s Area Deprivation Index (ADI) score and having a community collaborating partner to sponsor work at the site. In its first year, the program provided over 1,700 primary care visits to 825 patients across 17 sites, with services tailored to community needs.

To learn more about the CMS Health Equity Award and to sign up for updates on other grants and awards, please visit go.cms.gov/HEaward [ https://www.cms.gov/priorities/health-equity/grants-awards/cms-health-equity-award ].




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*CMS Health Equity Conference*

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted its second CMS Health Equity Conference on May 29-30, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. Over 5,100 people were able to join us, with more than 600 people attending in person and over 4,500 attending virtually.

Spanning two days, this year’s conference theme was "Framing the Future of Equitable Health Care "and we brought together leaders in health equity across federal agencies, health providers, academia, and community-based organizations. Featuring 25 sessions and 170 speakers, the conference provided a platform for presenters to speak on the latest health equity research; discuss promising practices and creative solutions; and collaborate on community engagement strategies. Furthermore, the conference provided an opportunity to hear from CMS leadership on recent developments and updates to CMS programs and an opportunity to meet and network with others on how to sustain health equity through action.

You can now review the presentation slides and posters from the conference by downloading them from the agenda [ https://cmshealthequityconference.com/agenda.html ] and poster hall [ https://cmshealthequityconference.com/poster-hall.html ] webpages on the CMS Health Equity Conference website. Be sure to check out our new conference highlights video [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNzaTQU7kCU ]. Recordings capturing all plenary and breakout sessions are also available on the CMSHHSgov YouTube [ https://vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fplaylist%3Fapp=desktop%26list=PLaV7m2-zFKphiogsAhouOcF3JFnve4Wsm/1/0101019193f7ecf4-30dc185a-44c1-451d-9aab-fb4594e70a02-000000/pQAbjKTVa-coiyyxH4usbVKQm5A=389 ] channel.








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