Health & Wellness Highlighted During Black History Month
« ReturnNational Black Health and Wellness Resources
This year’s Black History Month theme “Black Health and Wellness” shines a light on the importance of health equity. St. James Parish Hospital is proud to be a driving force of wellness in our community. We are committed to continuing to expand access for minorities through new services, locations, physicians and an ongoing focus on the many factors that contribute to wellness beyond healthcare.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of wellness in our most vulnerable populations. Our black communities have remained resilient despite such adversity and we are dedicated to leading change that unites our communities through better health and wellness.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Heart disease, cancer, and stroke are the leading causes of death for African Americans.
Learn about how heart disease, cancer, and stroke impact African Americans.
Living a healthy lifestyle can help prevent heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
- Eat a healthy diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. Choose foods low in saturated fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
- Exercise regularly. Adults needs 2 hours and 30 minutes (or 150 minutes total) of exercise each week. You can spread your activity out during the week, and can break it up into smaller chunks of time during the day.
- Be smokefree. If you are ready to quit, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (1-855-335-3569 for Spanish speakers) for free resources, including free quit coaching, a free quit plan, free educational materials, and referrals to other resources where you live.
- Limit alcohol use which can lead to long-term health problems, including heart disease and cancer. If you do choose to drink, do so in moderation, which is no more than one drink a day for women and two for men.
- Know your family history. There may be factors that could increase your risk for heart disease and stroke.
- Manage any medical condition you might have. Learn the ABCS of heart health. Keep them in mind every day and especially when you talk to your health provider:
A ppropriate aspirin therapy for those who need it
B lood pressure control
C holesterol management
S moking cessation
The White House
President Obama and the African American Community
Federal Agencies/Offices
Administration for Children & Family: African American Healthy Marriage Initiative
The African American Healthy Marriage Initiative is a component of the ACF Healthy Marriage initiative. Specifically, this initiative promotes culturally competent strategies for:
- Fostering healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood
- Improving child well-being
- Strengthening families
These targeted strategies empower families within the African American Community to maintain strong family units.
African Development Foundation
The African Development Foundation provides grants to community groups and small enterprises that benefit under-served and marginalized groups in Africa.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Minority Health
AHRQ’s OMH mission is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. AHRQ has resources on minority health and since 2003 AHRQ has produced an annual Congressionally-mandated National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR).
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities: Black or African American Populations
The mission is to accelerate CDC’s health impact in the U.S population and to eliminate health disparities for vulnerable populations as defined by race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, geography, gender, age, disability status, risk status related to sex and gender, and among other populations identified to be at-risk for health disparities.
Center for Medicare: & Medicaid Services Consumer Research:
Summary Report on the African American Medicare Population
This section contains findings and recommendations from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) ongoing consumer research effort to help the Agency, its partners, and other stakeholders better understand the information needs and preferences of consumers choosing among a variety of CMS-sponsored health care options, and to improve the way we communicate that information to them.
Department of Education
Federal Resource for Educational Excellence (FREE): Ethnic Groups-African Americans
FREE makes it easier to find teaching and learning resources from the federal government. More than 1,500 federally supported teaching and learning resources are included from dozens of federal agencies.
Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program
This program assists predominantly minority institutions in effecting long-range improvement in science and engineering education programs and increasing the flow of underrepresented ethnic minorities, particularly minority women, into science and engineering careers.
Environmental Protection Agency: Children’s Health Protection:
Health Disparities Workshop Report and Findings
The workshop was created to develop a scientific foundation to explore the conceptual issues, data needs, and policy applications with regard to the social and environmental factors used to measure and track racial, ethnic, and class disparities in environmental health
National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP):
Children’s Environmental Health Disparities: Black and African American Children and Asthma
This fact sheet focuses on relationship between environment and asthma among Black and African American children. This fact sheet also provides important actions that can be taken to protect all children.
Children’s Environmental Health Disparities: Black and African American Children and Secondhand Smoke
This fact sheet focuses on disparities in exposure to secondhand smoke for Black and African American children. This fact sheet also provides important actions that can be taken to protect all children Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program: African Americans
African-Americans are the racial and ethnic group most disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. By providing culturally competent, comprehensive care the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is committed to turning this tide.
HRSA Health Equity
HRSA mission is to improve health and achieve health equity through access to quality services, a skilled health workforce and innovative programs.
Office of Minority Health (OMH)
OMH mission is to improve and protect the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will eliminate health disparities. OMH Resource Center mission is to collect, compile and disseminate information on the health of racial and ethnic minorities in the US and its territories. Provides resources on local health clinics, consumer health materials, access to assistance programs nationwide
Campaigns and Initiatives for African Americans
Office on Women’s Health Minority Health: African American
The Office on Women’s Health’s (OWH) mission is to provide leadership to promote health equity for women and girls through sex/gender-specific approaches. OWH achieves its mission and vision by developing innovative programs, educating health professionals, and motivating behavior change in consumers through the dissemination of health information.
National Institute of Health (NIH):
National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities(NIMHD)
NIMHD’s mission to promote minority health and to lead, coordinate, support, and assess the NIH effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities. In this effort NCMHD will conduct and support basic, clinical, social, and behavioral research, promote research infrastructure and training, foster emerging programs, disseminate information, and reach out to minority and other health disparity communities.
Medline Plus: African American Health
A full resource website providing: consumer materials, videos and multimedia resources, health locators and organizations on various health topics focusing on the African American Population.
Office for Civil Rights
OCR works to protect the civil rights of all individuals who are subject to discrimination in health and human services programs and protect the health information privacy rights of consumers.
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
ODPHP mission is provides actionable health and wellness information and personalized decision support for consumers to make informed choices about their health and the health of loved ones.
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration:
Office of Behavioral Health Equity (OBHE): Behavioral Health and Black/African Americans
OBHE mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on populations that experience behavioral health disparities by improving access to quality services and support that enable individuals and families to thrive, participate in and contribute to health communities.
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration African American Heritage
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation’s record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government
THE U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Africa
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.
