Health Disparities
Overview
This information is a summary of new measures enacted during the 1st quarter of 2011.
Information on topics is updated quarterly, usually in February, May, August, and November. (Note: Not all topics are updated each quarter.)
Screening and Treatment Programs
State Capacity
State Capacity
Measures addressing state infrastructure relating to health disparities.
A law in Arkansas (S.B. 770) encourages the Arkansas Minority Health Commission and the state Department of Health, among others, to work together to plan, operate, and coordinate a comprehensive initiative to address the health and healthcare needs of the Arkansas red counties.
See the additional summaries of this law in the Health Disparities/Research and Prevention topic and the Health Disparities/Screening and Treatment Programs topic.
A new Arkansas law (S.B. 459) requires the Arkansas Minority Health Commission and the state Department of Health, among others, to work together to identify the Arkansas red counties most in need of help with mortality disparities. See the additional summary of this law in the Health Disparities/Research and Prevention topic.
For summaries of a District of Columbia law (L.B. 967) related to health disparities state capacity, see the Health Disparities/Research and Prevention topic and the Obesity Prevention/Food Environment topic.
Lawmakers in Utah enacted legislation (S.B. 33) that, subject to budget constraints, requires the appointment of an American Indian-Alaska Native Health Liaison. The Liaison must: (1) coordinate efforts in the state Department of Health and the state’s American Indian population to improve the availability and accessibility of quality health care; (2) interact with the following to improve health disparities for the state’s American Indian populations: (a) tribal health programs; (b) local health departments; (c) state agencies and officials; and (d) providers of health care in the private sector; and (3) facilitate education, training, and technical assistance regarding public health and medical assistance programs.
