August 2009 Communiqué

PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY APA Public Policy Update: Ethnic Minority Issues Daniel E. Dawes, JD Senior Officer, Legislative & Federal Affairs APA Public Interest Government Relations Office Health Disparities in Health Reform Legislation Public Interest Government Relations Office (PI-GRO) efforts, predicated by a special issue of the Communiqué Newsjournal produced jointly by APA’s Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs and PI-GRO, culminated in significant attention to health disparities in congressional health care reform efforts. During their advocacy for health reform, PI-GRO staff has made a direct appeal to both the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, and the Director of the White House Office of Health Reform, Nancy-Ann Deparle, at a critical health care reform meeting at the White House focusing on health and health care disparities.

In addition, PI-GRO has been leading a national working group on health disparities and health reform that includes over 150 national coalitions and organizations dedicated to reducing and eliminating disparities in health status and health care. PI-GRO will continue to lead this effort and work with these partners to ensure that health reform legislation includes comprehensive health disparities provisions related to mental health and mental health care, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, racial and ethnic minorities, rural health, HIV/AIDS, gender, national origin, and poverty. Focus will continue on the House Tri-Committee bill to ensure that it includes stronger provisions from the TriCaucus (i.e., the congressional caucuses for Blacks, Hispanics and Asian Americans /Pacific Islanders) comprehensive health disparities bill – the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2009.

Focus will also turn to the Senate Finance Committee bill, the only remaining bill to be introduced.

African American Youth Resilience On May 7, Congressman Alcee Hasting (D-FL) introduced in the House of Representatives the Resolution on Fostering Resilience in African American Youth. PI-GRO staff drafted and led the efforts surrounding this resolution, which reflects the work of APA’s Task Force on Resilience and Strength in Black Children and Adolescents. The resolution promotes a number of steps related to research on resilience, well-being, and health in African American children and adolescents, including coordination among federal research agencies and the inclusion of culturally relevant guidelines in related requests for proposals. Furthermore, the resolution emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary partnerships to adapt, disseminate, and implement culturally relevant, evidence-based practices that focus on resilience in African 45