Office of Minority Health

**Our History and Mission** The Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was created in 1986 as one of the most significant outcomes of the landmark 1985 Secretary's Task Force Report on Black and Minority Health. The mission of the Office of Minority Health is to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities. **Our Work Today** OMH is focused on the collective goal of the success, sustainability and spread of health equity promoting policies, program and practices. OMH's primary function of promoting policy program and practice adoption is supported by additional functions including convening partners, collecting, analyzing and reporting data, disseminating information, and conducting demonstrations and evaluations. For FY 2020 and 2021, OMH has three overarching programmatic priorities: 1. Supporting [states, territories and tribes in identifying and sustaining health equity-promoting policies, programs and practices](https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/content.aspx?ID=6845&lvl=2&lvlid=5) 2. Expanding the utilization of community health workers to address health and social service needs within communities of color 3. Strengthening [cultural competence](https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=1&lvlid=6) among healthcare providers throughout the country. Specific OMH focus areas, including priorities of Congressional appropriators, the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health, are: (1) Prevention (physical activity and nutrition), (2) Clinical conditions, such as substance use disorder, hypertension, HIV, maternal health, sickle cell disease and trait, diabetes (including prevention of peripheral artery and kidney disease, Lupus, Alzheimer's, and cancer prevention (e.g., stomach, liver and cervical), and (3) Individual social needs and social determinants of health.