As we rejoice Black Historical past Month, we replicate on the function of my workplace, the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies (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 battle for equality, and the work forward to deal with 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 companies from discrimination, bias, and limitations.

A few of OCR’s latest efforts embrace:

Strengthening Nondiscrimination in Well being Care

OCR issued a proposed rule revising Part 1557 of the Inexpensive Care Act (Part 1557) that features sturdy 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 premise of race, coloration, nationwide origin, intercourse, or incapacity in sure well being applications or actions and is without doubt one of 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 all Los Angeles’ wealthiest amenities, the place an area lady died from the being pregnant care she had acquired.

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) concerning 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 didn’t take significant actions to treatment sanitation circumstances. 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 legal penalties in the event that they weren’t in a position to remediate.

The Settlement was reached after an 18-month investigation. Below the decision settlement, ADPH will likely be required to develop equitable and protected wastewater disposal and administration companies, in addition to increase consciousness of the well being impacts of publicity to wastewater.  

The Settlement requires ADPH to deal with 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 challenge, and the place you reside shouldn’t decide whether or not you get sick from fundamental environmental hazards not confronted in different prosperous and white communities,” stated Division of Well being and Human Companies 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 group has lengthy been on the coronary heart of the civil rights wrestle, and right now’s decision is yet 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 by way of duties outlined in President Biden’s Govt Orders and the HHS Fairness Motion Plan, OCR is working to make sure that all folks have significant entry to well being and human companies applications and actions no matter race, ethnicity or linguistic skill.  This challenge is of serious significance to OCR, as racial minorities usually tend to communicate a language aside from English at house, and communication limitations usually end in detrimental 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 at present 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’ part Employees Divisions and Working Divisions.  The updates made to part Language Entry Plans will enhance and make sure the high quality and accuracy of language entry companies in HHS-funded well being and human companies applications 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 completed 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 premise of race, coloration, nationwide origin, and incapacity in accessing telehealth.

• The steering explains authorized obligations beneath Title VI, Part 1557 of the Inexpensive Care Act, Part 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Act.
• It gives info to well being care suppliers about their nondiscrimination obligations and sensible recommendations on the way to present accessible telehealth.

Strengthening the Well being Care Workforce to Meet America’s Various Wants

Every summer time, 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 schools and universities throughout the nation, together with traditionally Black establishments, Howard College, and Charles R. Drew College of Drugs and Science.

In case you or somebody you already know has skilled discrimination, you possibly can file a grievance with HHS at: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints/index.html.