NIH health disparities strategic plan expected in six months

NIH health disparities strategic plan expected in six months

NIH's National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) expects to release the final version of the "NIH Strategic Research Plan and Budget to Reduce and Ultimately Eliminate Health Disparities: Fiscal Years 2002-2006" in early fall. The draft NIH strategic plan sets out objectives under the headings of "research," "research infrastructure" and "outreach." NCMHD invited public comments on the draft plan until early January 2004.

The center has reviewed the public comments and organized them into six themes. One of the main ideas expressed in the comments is that NIH should expand the health disparities populations studied to include the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, as well as prisoners and underrepresented ethnic subpopulations, such as Haitians or the Hmong. Other themes include use of racially and culturally sensitive and appropriate communication, and expanding the scope of scientific inquiry to include cultural, psychological, behavioral, social, racial and gender-based influences on health, as well as access to health care. The final three themes stress improving research infrastructure at minority academic institutions, strengthening the capacity of minority communities, and distributing NIH resources equitably across all population groups.