Please find the calendar of events HERE.

The Commission would like to thank you for taking part in our Virtual 2021 Minority Health Month Kickoff! 

Click HERE to view the VIRTUAL, 2021 Ohio Commission on Minority Health's, Minority Health Month Kickoff and Awards Program.

GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

The FY22 Demonstration Grant RFP Round 2 and FY 22 Lupus Grant RFP Round 2 are now closed.

                                                Photo by, Rob Hardin

Dr. Olivia Thomas, Nationwide Children’s Hospital: Lifetime Achievement winner, Columbus CEO Healthcare Achievement Awards 2021

As shared in an article written by Laura Newpoff, of Columbus CEO, "...when Dr. Olivia Thomas was growing up in a small Kentucky town, she was the neighborhood babysitter who fixed all the cuts and bruises when children fell off their bikes or got hurt playing sports. During high school, she was drawn to the sciences, and she loved the experiments she got to work on in the lab. In the late 1960s, she’d combine those two interests to begin the educational journey of a medical doctor at a time when the Civil Rights Act had just allowed Black students to be admitted into all U.S. medical schools."

Click HERE to read the full story.

The Ohio Conference of the NAACP, Ohio Commission on Minority Health and the Ohio Department of Health have prepared this joint statement providing information to lessen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial and ethnic minority communities. 

The community spread of COVID-19 is an unfortunate reality. It is important to dispel myths that convey racial and ethnic minorities are less susceptible to COVID-19.  This is simply not true. Access to care can be a challenge for minorities which could result in a greater impact from COVID-19. The response to COVID-19 requires intentional strategies to ensure those who are most vulnerable within racial and ethnic minority populations have access to testing, treatment and critical resources. Racial and ethnic minorities are encouraged to be proactive in their efforts to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19.  It is important to heed the advice of public health leaders and healthcare providers which encourages social distancing and good hygiene practices. On March 15, 2020 the national NAACP hosted an Emergency Tele-Townhall on COVID-19. This national broadcast discussed the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. More information on the Tele-Townhall can be found at https://naacp.org/emergency-coronavirus-tele-town-hall/.  For up-to-date information about the impact of COVID-19 on Ohio please visit  http://coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH. The phones are staffed from 9:00am to 8:00pm each day.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20200514/franklin-county-lsquoracism-is-public-health-crisisrsquo

The Franklin County Board of Health has joined a growing number of cities and counties that have declared racism a public health crisis.

The board also said it acknowledged the health impact of racism in Ohio and Franklin County is affecting the entire community.

The board of health said racism and segregation in Ohio and Franklin County have exacerbated a health divide resulting in black Ohioans having lower life expectancies than white Ohioans, being far more likely than other races to die prematurely, and to die of heart disease or stroke, according to the Health Policy Institute of Ohio.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20200601/businesses-join-columbus-city-council-anti-racism-resolution

Columbus City Council’s resolution calls for the city to address minority health inequities, including a systematic, data-driven focus on poverty, economic mobility and other factors that impact the social determinants of health.

Cleveland council committee approves resolution that would declare racism a public health crisis

https://www.cleveland19.com/2020/06/01/cleveland-council-committee-approves-resolution-that-would-declare-racism-public-health-crisis/