As we rejoice Black Historical past Month, we replicate on the position of my workplace, the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS) Workplace for Civil Rights (OCR), in advancing racial fairness and remaining dedicated to the enforcement of federal civil rights legal guidelines to make sure nondiscrimination primarily based on race, coloration, and nationwide origin. This month and all year long, our workplace acknowledges the numerous contributions of Black Individuals, the historic combat for equality, and the work forward to handle well being inequities for Black Individuals.
President Biden mirrored on his dedication to fairness and variety in a Proclamation on Nationwide Black Historical past Month, 2024. The President acknowledged the huge contributions and developments made by Black Individuals and that “Black historical past is American historical past.”
At HHS, OCR contributes to this mission by main the Division’s work on nondiscrimination and by working to advertise higher well being entry and outcomes for folks of coloration and different underserved communities. That is mirrored in our persistent enforcement of federal civil rights and privateness legal guidelines to safeguard our providers from discrimination, bias, and obstacles.
A few of OCR’s current efforts embody:
Strengthening Nondiscrimination in Well being Care
OCR issued a proposed rule revising Part 1557 of the Inexpensive Care Act (Part 1557) that features strong provisions to guard folks from discrimination and helps the Biden-Harris Administration’s precedence of advancing well being fairness and civil rights. Part 1557 prohibits discrimination on the idea of race, coloration, nationwide origin, intercourse, or incapacity in sure well being packages or actions and is among the authorities’s strongest instruments for making certain nondiscriminatory entry to well being care. OCR is working to finalize the Rule.
Enforcement
Black Maternal Well being: OCR is investigating allegations of racism and discrimination in hospitals throughout the nation, together with in one in every of Los Angeles’ wealthiest amenities, the place a neighborhood girl died from the being pregnant care she had obtained.
Environmental Justice
Lowndes County, Alabama: On Could 4, 2023, OCR and the Division of Justice introduced an interim decision settlement of their environmental justice investigation into the Alabama Division of Public Well being (ADPH) relating to the discriminatory administration of a wastewater disposal system program. The investigation in Lowndes County, Alabama, a predominately Black county with a excessive poverty charge, revealed that ADPH had did not take significant actions to treatment sanitation situations. This was regardless of consciousness of resident’s publicity to uncooked sewage, a burden that positioned disproportionate well being and monetary impacts on the County’s Black residents, who may face potential property loss and even felony penalties in the event that they weren’t capable of remediate.
The Settlement was reached after an 18-month investigation. Below the decision settlement, ADPH shall be required to develop equitable and secure wastewater disposal and administration providers, in addition to increase consciousness of the well being impacts of publicity to wastewater.
The Settlement requires ADPH to handle well being disparities and enhance well being outcomes by making certain compliance with federal civil rights legal guidelines and the fulfilment of settlement phrases.
“Environmental justice is a public well being situation, and the place you reside shouldn’t decide whether or not you get sick from primary environmental hazards not confronted in different prosperous and white communities,” mentioned Division of Well being and Human Providers Workplace for Civil Rights Director Melanie Fontes Rainer. “We’re happy that Alabama’s Public Well being Division has dedicated to take rapid and long-term steps to guard the well being of Lowndes County residents. This neighborhood has lengthy been on the coronary heart of the civil rights wrestle, and at this time’s decision is one more testomony to the continuing work that’s the pursuit of racial justice.”
Eradicating Language Obstacles
As part of this Administration’s accessibility and inclusion efforts, together with via tasks outlined in President Biden’s Government Orders and the HHS Fairness Motion Plan, OCR is working to make sure that all folks have significant entry to well being and human providers packages and actions no matter race, ethnicity or linguistic capability. This situation is of serious significance to OCR, as racial minorities usually tend to converse a language aside from English at residence, and communication obstacles typically lead to destructive well being outcomes together with elevated morbidity and mortality. OCR is main HHS on Language Entry by launching and organizing the Division-wide Language Entry Steering Committee, which is presently overseeing the implementation of Language Entry Plan updates for HHS Employees Divisions and Working Divisions.
- As a part of this effort, the Language Entry Steering Committee is overseeing the implementation of up to date Language Entry Plans for all of HHS’ element Employees Divisions and Working Divisions. The updates made to element Language Entry Plans will enhance and make sure the high quality and accuracy of language entry providers in HHS-funded well being and human providers packages and actions for folks with restricted English proficiency and other people with disabilities.
- OCR additionally releases an annual progress report primarily based on language entry work being finished throughout HHS. The annual report tracks enforcement exercise and the progress of the Language Entry Steering Committee.
Guaranteeing Equal Entry to Telehealth
OCR and the Division of Justice Civil Rights Division issued steering on nondiscrimination on the idea of race, coloration, nationwide origin, and incapacity in accessing telehealth.
- The steering explains authorized obligations underneath Title VI, Part 1557 of the Inexpensive Care Act, Part 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Act.
- It offers info to well being care suppliers about their nondiscrimination obligations and sensible recommendations on how you can present accessible telehealth.
Strengthening the Well being Care Workforce to Meet America’s Numerous Wants
Every summer season, OCR continues a long-standing collaboration with the Affiliation of American Medical Schools to ship civil rights compliance coaching to pre-medical and pre-dental faculty college students.
- From June to August, OCR workers members ship coaching to roughly 1,000 college students at faculties and universities throughout the nation, together with traditionally Black establishments, Howard College, and Charles R. Drew College of Drugs and Science.
When you or somebody you understand has skilled discrimination, you’ll be able to file a grievance with HHS at: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints/index.html.
