During September, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) recognizes National Hispanic Heritage Month and the unique health care disparities that impact this population.
As the largest minority population in the U.S., Hispanics comprise more than 18% of the total population in the U.S. In addition to being the largest minority population, Hispanics also have the highest uninsured rate of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S., with almost 19% of this population not covered by health insurance (compared to almost 6% of the non-Hispanic White population). Health disparities also differ among the various subgroups that comprise this population: Mexicans and Puerto Ricans are twice as likely to die from diabetes as Whites and smoking is higher among Puerto Rican males (26%) and Cuban males (22%) than overall rates among all Hispanic Americans (14%).
As we continue to combat COVID-19, CMS OMH is also taking time to emphasize the importance of vaccination for the Hispanic community. Despite increases in the share of COVID-19 vaccinations that are going to Hispanics, the percentage of Whites that have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose is still 1.1 times higher than Hispanics.
Throughout this month we will be highlighting these disparities and helping our partners with information and resources to help Hispanic communities improve their overall health. Below are resources that you can share during National Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond.
Resources
- Read CMS OMH’s, Understanding the Health Needs of Diverse Groups of Hispanic Medicare Beneficiaries, which examines the future medical needs and challenges of a fast growing Hispanic population.
- Download and share our Rural Health Strategy: 5 Key Objectives in Spanish, which provides five objectives to help move rural health providers and their patients forward.
- Learn about the Guide to Developing a Language Access Plan to ensure your organization provides high quality and appropriate language services.
- Hear from others by reading Providing Language Services to Diverse Populations: Lessons from the Field.
- Revisit A Practical Guide to Implementing the National CLAS Standards: For Racial, Ethnic and Linguistic Minorities, People with Disabilities and Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Read and share A Culturally and Linguistically Tailored Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Resources Inventory, a catalog of diabetes prevention resources tailored to various audiences, including racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ communities, people with disabilities, and people with limited English proficiency.
- Download and share Coverage to Care (C2C) resources which are all available in both English and Spanish.
- Share Connected Care resources, such as the “Connecting the Dots” patient animated videos, available in both Spanish and English, to help individuals living with multiple chronic conditions learn more about the benefits of chronic care management services.
- Visit this CMS OMH webpage for COVID-19 Federal resources focusing on vulnerable populations: cms.gov/omhcovid19 and C2C COVID-19: go.cms.gov/c2ccovid19.