Health Disparity

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health provided a brief in November 2023 assessing whether and how rates of substance use and substance use disorder (SUD) among adults (ages 18 and older) differ by race and ethnicity. 

On January 18, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model. IBH is focused on improving quality of care and behavioral and physical health outcomes for Medicaid and Medicare populations with moderate to severe mental health conditions and substance use disorder (SUD).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health have joined with two philanthropic organizations with experience in minority communities – Well-being and Equity (WE) in the World and Well Being In the Nation (WIN) Network – to collaborate on guidelines for what it will take to bring health equity to rural areas. 

Celebrate and honor the culture, traditions, and achievements of the nation's original inhabitants and of their descendants. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) honor the history, culture, and legacy of Tribal nations and Indigenous communities across the United States. 

This webinar provided RCORP grantees with the tools to complete a disparities impact statement, to support efforts to address populations in rural communities that have historically suffered from poorer health outcomes and health inequities as a part of the prevention, treatment, and recovery of SUD/OUD.

The Disparities Impact Statement (DIS) template is a deliverable for this project that you will be required to complete. There was a webinar discussing the DIS for all relevant cohorts on November 15, 2022. This webinar provided RCORP grantees with the tools to complete a disparities impact statement, to support efforts to address populations in rural communities that have historically suffered from poorer health outcomes and health inequities as a part of the prevention, treatment, and recovery of SUD/OUD. We strongly encourage you to review these documents or listen to the recording when it is posted to the RCORP- TA portal at a later date. Please be in contact with your Technical Expert Lead (TEL) with any questions. 

OMNI Institute, in partnership with the JBS RCORP-TA team, created the 2022-2023 RCORP-TA Data Learning Collaborative (LC) for grantees to come together and share knowledge, talk through challenges, and build relationships with one another. This LC will build upon the foundation established in the prior 2022 RCORP-TA Data Learning Collaborative.

A new guidebook from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration describes various methods of adapting evidence-based practices for substance use disorder (SUD) to meet the needs of populations who experience barriers in receiving behavioral health services due to a variety of factors including race, ethnicity, geography, income, sexual orientation, and disability.

Communities across the U.S. face an array of complex health equity challenges, including meeting the health care needs of people experiencing homelessness, reducing poverty, and improving care for rural populations. Addressing these issues requires robust collaboration and cross-sector data sharing to better understand how community members access health care.

During this webinar, Claudia Jasso, Chief Development Officer for RCORP Implementation grantee, Amistades, Inc. and Janet Ojeda, JBS International Technical Expert Lead will present an overview of the unique cultural context, core beliefs, and value systems that should be at the heart of understanding and engaging with Latino populations. Presenters will discuss how racial inequity, assimilation, risk factors, and historical and immigration trauma have created a landscape where there is a critical need for person centered, culturally respectful and relevant mental health and SUD/OUD supports and service delivery for Latino people. All RCORP grantees, consortium members, and key community partners are welcome to attend.