National Minority Health Initiative (NMHI)

Introduction

Each year, thousands of African Americans and other minorities are stricken with various diseases many of which are particular to African Americans. We now know that exercise and diet play an important role in the prevention of disease. Early detection of disease can be done through testing and screening. There are many African Americans in the community who do not know where to go in their respective communities to get assistance. Health care providers need to be accessible to the community.

Mission

The mission of the Black Affairs Advisory Council (BAAC) is to launch a new initiative as an expansion of the Marrow Donor Program. This initiative is the "National Minority Health Initiative (NMHI)" and focuses on awareness and prevention and health promotion.

Goals and Objectives

The goal of the Black Affairs Advisory Council National Minority Health Initiative Plan are:

• to increase awareness of the kinds of health issues facing the African American community;
  
  
• to identify those health issues that can be prevented through exercise, diet, testing and screening;
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  to develop community programs to establish a standard health regimen;
• to operate using a fiscal calendar year (October 1st through September 30th;
  
  
• to present a minority health segment at each major event of BAAC;
  
  
• to have each Chapter select a health issue and establish a national registry of health concerns in the African American Community;
  
  
• to work with the Association of National Black Charities to have each BAAC chapter hold health fairs throughout the year.
  

Conducting Health Fairs

From the suggestions and experience of the health coordinators in the filed, guidelines will be provided for each Chapter to hold Health Fairs in their region. These guidelines will assure the success of the health initiative in each region. The following methodology will assist the coordinators in planning and developing a program.

Methodology

• Select a health coordinator who is committed to the task.
  
  
• Select a health team for each chapter.
  
  
• Train coordinators and team members on NMHI goals and methods for recruitment.
  
  
• Contact organizations with a similar mission such as Diabetes Foundation, American Red Cross, National Black Charities Association, Lupus Foundation, and other organizations.
  
  
• Interface with the Social Security Office of Personnel's Center for Employees Services (health unit) for additional information.
  
  
• Develop lunchtime seminars to increase employee awareness.
  
  
• Create a satellite broadcast to build awareness featuring different races and ethnic groups.
  
  
• Develop effective means of communication with employees and managers.

Building Awareness
· Conduct briefings and other activities to build a broader base of management support.
· Identify organizations (such as other Advisory groups and the Employee Activities Association - EAA) and activities to disseminate information.
· Use available services for publicity, such as, bulletin boards, flyers, public address system, satellite broadcast.
· Solicit experts to be available to field questions.
· Obtain promotional literature and handouts.

Conduct Testing for Employees
· Identify appropriate sites to conduct testing.
· Arrange for health professionals to be involved to conduct testing and screenings (cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, stress tests).
· Arrange for a health professional to be available to field questions.
· Monitor and document traffic at the event.

Community Awareness
· Plan a program.
· Recruit dynamic speakers and enthusiastic volunteers.
· Identify sites for distribution of promotional literature.
· Develop sources for publicity: flyers, posters, media, radio and available local advertisements.
· Identify community organizations, such as churches, social service organizations, and schools.

Community Testing
· Identify appropriate sites to conduct testing.
· Arrange for health professionals to be involved to conduct testing and screenings (cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, stress tests).
· Arrange for a health professional to be available to field questions.
· Monitor and document traffic at the event.

Program Evaluation
· Evaluation and report to be completed, signed and dated by each chapter Minority Health Coordinator and submitted by the last day of each quarter.
· Quarterly reports to be complied into a written annual report and distributed to each chapter.