Title
To declare April 2014 to be Minority Health Month in Columbus.
Body
WHEREAS, in 1989, the Ohio Commission on Minority Health developed the concept of a high-visibility campaign designed to focus on health awareness and disease prevention; and
WHEREAS, the resulting thirty-day campaign would become Minority Health Month, which has been recognized nationally since 2000; and
WHEREAS, the five goals of Minority Health Month are to provide information for individuals to practice disease prevention, to promote healthy lifestyles, to showcase resources for providers of grassroots healthcare and information, to bring attention to the disparate health conditions between Ohio's minority and non-minority populations, and to gain support for on-going efforts to improve minority health year round; and
WHEREAS, the Columbus Department of Public Health has established an Office of Minority Health with the mission of providing leadership on the reduction of health inequities in minority communities in Columbus and its surrounding areas by serving as a mechanism for local governments to produce consistent data, by providing a presence for issues of minority health, by institutionalizing efforts to eliminate health disparities, and by serving as a conduit of information for trends and emerging concerns between the Ohio Commission on Minority Health and local communities; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Minority Health fulfills its mission by monitoring and reporting the health status of minority populations, mobilizing community partnerships and local actions, developing policies and plans to support health efforts, and informing, educating and empowering the community; and
WHEREAS, over the past year, the Office of Minority Health has directly served nearly1,000 community residents through 16 consumer empowerment, health awareness and men's health workshops and 18 Somali and Latino community health forums; and
WHEREAS, over the past year, the Office of Minority Health, has facilitated nearly 8000 language interpretation and translation services; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Minority Health has participated with community partners, for example, working with ADAMH on crisis intervention training, working with the Ohio Health Latina Breast Cancer Program and working with the United Way on a conference on navigating cultural, family, and religious aspects of effectively engaging Somali and Hispanic populations; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Minority Health impacted over 400 residents with interactive, educational and informational activities during the celebration of last year's Minority Health Month; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Minority Health is working with more than thirty community partners to present programming, throughout April, that will bring attention to health issues, such as hypertension, substance abuse, domestic violence, nutrition and wellness, in the minority community; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby recognize April 2014 as Minority Health Month in the City of Columbus.