The Office of Health Disparity Elimination has received two grants from the Office of Minority Health in the Department of Health & Human Services.

Disparity Elimination for Katrina Evacuees

The first phase of the HHS grant was designed to:

• Coordinate Mississippi efforts to address identified health disparities among Hurricane Katrina evacuees
• Assess the cultural competency needs of Katrina evacuees with limited English proficiency
• Support and evaluate current service provision to affected individuals

In 2005, the Office of Health Disparity Elimination organized the Katrina Relief Symposium. The Office identified housing, stress management, and capacity building for faith-based and community-based organizations as high-focus priorities in facilitating rebuilding efforts on the coast and across the region. In addition, the Office of Health Disparity Elimination provided Disaster Preparedness training, formulated a Survival manual and a faith-based training manual for communities throughout Mississippi.

The Magnolia Model

The HHS second grant was a five-year initiative to improved minority health: The Magnolia Model. The Magnolia Model aims to reduce and eliminate disparities in Mississippi in the area of chronic disease and associated risk factors, including:

• Cancer
• Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse
• Violence
• Infant Mortality
• Diabetes
• HIV/AIDS

In an effort to combat the disparities in Cardiovascular Disease, the Office of Health Disparity Elimination investigated racial disparities in cardiovascular mortality, behavioral risk, and certain disease knowledge issues. The study of racial disparities is of special importance to Mississippi because the state has the nation's largest proportion of black citizens, as well as some of the highest cardiovascular mortality rates.

The approach of the Magnolia Model is to strengthen existing community and institutional capacity to address health disparities. The Office of Health Disparity Elimination will provide support to those groups with:

• The creation of a statewide multicultural consortium
• The development of a health disparity plan by sponsoring regional seminars
• A statewide conference and state disparity elimination policy

Communities in Action

In order to empower communities and enhance the capacity of community and faith-based organizations, the Office of Health Disparity Elimination developed Communities In Action. This program, a series of workshops, will provide skills to local elected officials, faith based organizations, and interested citizens or groups on the following:

• Organizational Capacity and Credibility
• Creating and Securing Funding
• Return on Investments
• Strategic Planning and Funds Management

• More about recent Communitirs in Action workshops

Cultural Competency