Ohio can stake its claim in several monumental firsts including the first professional baseball team (Cincinnati Reds) and the first man to walk on the moon (Neil Armstrong), but did you know that the first Minority Health Month originated in Ohio?
- Promote healthy lifestyles
- Provide crucial information to allow individuals to practice disease prevention
- Showcase the resources for providers of grass roots healthcare
- Disseminate minority health awareness and education information
- Highlight the resolution of the disparate health conditions between Ohio’s minority and non-minority populations; and
- Gain additional support for the on-going efforts to improve minority health year-round.
This year’s theme for Minority Health Month is “#Vaccine Ready” which focuses on the goal of empowering vulnerable populations to get the facts about COVID-19 vaccines and share accurate vaccine information; address their concerns related to vaccine hesitancy; make an informed decision to get vaccinated; and proactively practice COVID-19 safety measures.
“From the onset of this pandemic, the Ohio Commission on Minority Health has partnered with the Governor’s Office, the Ohio Department of Health, state agencies, stakeholders, and community members to inform state and local level efforts to ensure the recognition of the disparate impact of COVID-19 on Ohio’s racial and ethnic populations due to existence of persistent health and health care disparities,” stated Commission Executive Director Angela Dawson. “The Commission’s input focused on ensuring equitable access to testing sites, resources, protective supplies, and vaccines to Ohio’s most vulnerable populations. The Commission has emphasized the importance of ongoing culturally appropriate messages. These messages provided must validate the historical and contemporary concerns related to vaccine hesitancy while increasing health literacy to expand the capacity to make informed choices.”
The 2021 Minority Health Month has grown into a 30-day, statewide, community outreach opportunity that focuses on health promotion and disease prevention among Ohio’s minority populations. All events are free, open to the public, and physicians and their care teams are encouraged to share these resources with their patients.
View the 2021 Minority Health Month calendar of events.
In 1987, the Ohio Commission on Minority Health became the first freestanding state agency in the nation to address the disparity that exists between the health status of minority and non-minority populations. Today, there are State Offices of Minority Health in 47 states and Local Offices of Minority health in six cities across Ohio. The Commission’s mission is to eliminate disparities in minority health through innovative strategies and financial opportunities, public health promotion, legislative action, public policy and systems change. For more information on the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, please visit www.mih.ohio.gov.