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NHEC Policy Advocacy:
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The National Health Equity Coalition is aggressively working to inform and shape a wide range of federal policy areas that impact the health of racial and ethnic minorities and underserved communities, including health care, public health, transportation, housing, and the environment. NHEC is working to ensure policy is developed through a health equity lens and will support the building of healthy communities. Our current efforts are focused on ensuring health reform implementation prioritizes preventing, reducing and eliminating health disparities.
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Call To Action:
- Joint Committee Letter on Health Equity
More than 60 organizations have signed onto NHEC's letter urging the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to ensure racial and ethnic communities are not disproportionately impacted by the fiscal policies developed during their deliberations. The letter asked the Committee to:
1. Take a Balanced Approach that Includes Revenue and Eliminates Costly Tax Entitlements
2. Invest in Strategies that Lift Children and Families out of Poverty
3. Create Job Growth and Prevent Further Job Loss
4. Protect the Health of Communities
The current economic crisis poses one of the greatest threats to health equity and the social advancements so many have struggled to achieve over the decades. Congress has established a “super committee” of 12 to come up with a plan to reduce the national debt by an additional $1.5 trillion in “savings.” Deliberations are currently underway. The committee must present a final proposal to Congress before November 23rd. Medicaid, Medicare, WIC, SNAP, Head Start and so many other programs vital to the economic safety net of low-income families across the country, particularly racial and ethnic minority communities, are at risk.
Sign your organization onto the letter by November 22, 2011 at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/H59HY6J
- Federal Debt Reduction Advocacy Toolkit
Your members of Congress need to hear that the country must not balance the budget at the expense, safety and health of racial and ethnic communities. Download the NHEC Advocacy ToolKit to get tips and resources on different ways to reach out to your Senators, Representatives and the media. Take action and make your voice known!
- NHEC Health Reform Advocacy Toolkit
Your members of Congress need to hear that you support health reform. Download the NHEC Advocacy ToolKit to get tips and resources on different ways to reach out to your Senators, Representatives and the media. Take action and make your voice known!
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What is the NHEC policy agenda? The following position papers have been developed by the NHEC:
- Comments on Proposed Data Collection Standards
NHEC's comments on proposed data collection standards for race, ethnicity, primary language, sex, and disability status required by the Affordable Care Act. (August 1, 2011)
- Sign On Letter to Preserve REACH US
The President’s budget proposal called for the elimination of the REACH US Program based on the rationale that the program’s goal to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities will be adequately addressed through the upcoming Community Transformation Grant program. REACH stands out as the leading and most successful federal initiative in the struggle to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities using community-based coalitions and community participatory research in more than 40 rural, tribal and urban communities across the US. (March 14, 2011)
- Support for guidelines for the Prevention & Public Health Fund and Community Transformation Grants
Letter to the Honorable Kathleen Sebelius that outlines principles for expenditures from the Prevention & Public Health Fund and guidelines for implementing Community Transformation Grants to reduce and prevent racial and ethnic health disparities (August 31, 2010)
- Support for passing comprehensive health reform legislation
Letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid in support of the legislation because it represents an enormous step forward towards preventing and reducing health disparities (March 19, 2010)
- Response to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' letter
Letter to President Obama and Members of Congress in response to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' letter on workforce diversity provisions in the House health reform bill (November 2, 2009)
- Support for Amendment to Codify the Office of Minority Health
Letter to Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) in support of his amendment to codify the HHS Office of Minority Health in the Senate health reform proposal (October 15, 2009)
- Support for health disparities provisions in the House proposal
Sign-on letter to the House of Representatives in support of provisions included in the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200) that would prevent or reduce health disparities (October 9, 2009)
- Support for health disparities provisions in the Senate proposals
Sign-on letter to the Senate in support of provisions included in the Affordable Health Choices Act (HELP Committee proposal) and the America's Healthy Futures Act (Finance Committee proposal) that would prevent or reduce health disparities (October 9, 2009)
- Support for Including the Health Equity and Accountability Act in Health Reform
Letter to the chairs of House Committees on Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means urging their support for including critical provisions of the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2009 in health reform legislation (July 1, 2009)
- Health Equity Memo to the House Committees
Memo to the House Committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor on specific provisions to include in health reform legislation to reduce health disparities (May 19, 2009)
- Health Equity Principles - House
Sign-on letter to the House of Representatives delineating critical provisions that must be included in health reform legislation to eliminate health disparities (March 4, 2009)
- Health Equity Principles - Senate
Sign-on letter to the Senate delineating critical provisions that must be included in health reform legislation to eliminate health disparities (March 4, 2009)
- Letter to President Obama on Making the Elimination of Health Disparities a Priority
Sign-on letter to President Obama urging that he make the elimination of health disparities a top priority for his administration (January 29, 2009)
- Creating More Equity in Health: A Comprehensive Approach to Health Reform
Position paper providing a national policy framework for achieving health equity (July 2008)
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Call To Action:
Members’ active participation in the coalition is essential to our capacity. To stay informed and get involved in our advocacy campaigns, please join our email list.
More >
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National Dialogue on Equity & Health:
The National Dialogue on Equity and Health, sponsored by NHEC, is a series of webinars designed to bring together advocates, interest groups, and public agencies in a cross-sector dialogue on policies that improve the health and socio-economic opportunities of racial and ethnic minorities.
More >
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