April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM), a time to raise awareness about health disparities that continue to affect people from racial and ethnic minority groups and encourage action through health education, early detection, and control of disease complications.
Celebrated every year in April, National Minority Health Month:
• builds awareness about the disproportionate burden of premature death and illness in people from racial and ethnic minority groups; and
• encourages action through health education, early detection and control of disease complications.
The origin of National Minority Health Month was the 1915 establishment of National Negro Health Week by Booker T. Washington. In 2002, National Minority Health Month received support from the U.S. Congress with a concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 388) that “a National Minority Health and Health Disparities Month should be established to promote educational efforts on the health problems currently facing minorities and other populations experiencing health disparities.” The resolution encouraged “all health organizations and Americans to conduct appropriate programs and activities to promote healthfulness in minority and other communities experiencing health disparities."
Click HERE to view a calendar of events from the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.