[Federal Register: November 9, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 216)]
[Notices]
[Page 61112-61113]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09no99-77]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
Request for Nominations for the Secretary's Advisory Committee on
Minority Health
AGENCY: Office of Public Health and Science, Office of Minority Health.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, signed
the charter establishing the Committee on Minority Health on September
17, 1999. Unless renewed prior to its expiration, the Committee will
terminate on September 22, 2001. It is the function of the Committee to
advise and make recommendations to the Secretary on improving the
health of racial and ethnic minority groups and development of goals
and specific program activities. This notice also requests nominations
for membership on the Committee.
[[Page 61113]]
DATES: Nominations for members must be received no later than 5:00 P.M.
on January 10, 2000.
ADDRESSES: You may mail or deliver nominations to the following
address: Monica Farrar, Division of Management Operations, Office of
Minority Health, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1000, Rockville, MD 20852.
Nominations will not be accepted by e-mail nor by facsimile.
A request for a copy of the Secretary's charter for the Advisory
Committee should be submitted to: Joan Jacobs, Office of Minority
Health, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1000, Rockville, MD 20852. The
charter can also be downloaded from the Office of Minority Health
Resource Center web site at http://www.omhrc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joan Jacobs, (301) 443-9923.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background and Legislative Authority
Section 1707(c) of the Public Health Service Act directs the
Secretary to establish the Advisory Committee on Minority Health. The
Committee is also governed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5
U.S.C. Appendix 2), which sets forth standards for the formulation and
use of advisory committees.
The Advisory Committee shall advise the Secretary on improving the
health of racial and ethnic minorities and developing goals and
specific program activities. These activities include, but are not
limited, to the following:
(1) Establishing short-range and long-range goals and objectives
and coordinate all other activities within the Public Health Service
that relate to disease prevention, health promotion, service delivery,
and research concerning such individuals.
(2) Entering into interagency agreements with other agencies of the
Public Health Service.
(3) Supporting research, demonstrations and evaluations to test new
and innovative models.
(4) Increasing knowledge and understanding of health risk factors.
(5) Developing mechanisms that support better information
dissemination, education, prevention, and service delivery to
individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, including individuals who
are members of racial and ethnic minority groups.
(6) Ensuring that the National Center for Health Statistics,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, collects data on the health
status of each minority group.
(7) With respect to individuals who lack proficiency in speaking
the English language, entering into contracts with public and nonprofit
private providers of primary health services for the purpose of
increasing the access of individuals to such services by developing and
carrying out programs to provide bilingual or interpretive services.
(8) Supporting a national minority health resource center to carry
out the following:
(A) Facilitate the exchange of information regarding matters
relating to health information and health promotion, preventive health
services, and education in the appropriate use of health care;
(B) Facilitate access to information;
(C) Assist in the analysis of issues and problems relating to such
matters;
(D) Provide technical assistance with respect to the exchange of
such information (including facilitating the development of materials
of such technical assistance).
(9) Carrying out programs to improve access to health care services
for individuals with limited proficiency in speaking the English
language. Activities under the preceding sentence shall include
developing and evaluating model projects.
II. Nominations
The Office of Minority Health (OMH) is requesting nominations for
voting members to serve on the Advisory Committee. The Committee is to
consist of 12 voting members appointed by the Secretary from among
racial and ethnic minorities, defined as Black or African American,
Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American, and
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, who have expertise regarding
issues of minority health. The racial and ethnic minority groups will
be equally represented among the voting members. The membership will
also be diverse in terms of gender, HIV status, disability, age,
culture, sexual orientation, geography, and points of view. Employees
or officers of the Federal Government may not serve as voting members,
except that the Secretary may appoint employees of the DHHS to serve as
ex-officio, non-voting members.
OMH is seeking nominations of persons from a wide-array of fields
including but not limited to: public health and medicine, health
administration and financing, behavioral and social sciences,
immigration and rural health, health law and economics, cultural and
linguistic competency, and biomedical ethics and human rights.
Demonstrated expertise in minority health, in subject areas such as
access to care, data collection and analysis, health professions
development, cultural competency, and eliminating disparities in
cancer, cardiovascular diseases, infant mortality, HIV infection/AIDS,
child and adult immunization, diabetes, substance abuse, homicide,
suicide, unintentional injuries, and other diseases and health
conditions is also required.
Nominations must state that the nominee is willing to serve as a
member of the Advisory Committee and appears to have no conflict of
interest that would preclude membership. Candidates will be asked to
provide detailed information concerning such matters as financial
holdings, consultancies, and research grants or contracts to permit
evaluation of possible sources of conflict of interest.
Members are appointed for a term of four years except that the
Secretary shall initially appoint a portion of members to one, two, and
three year terms. The Chair, selected by the Secretary from among the
voting members of the Committee, will serve a term of two years.
Committee members will be compensated for the time spent in Committee
meetings (including travel time) as well as per diem costs.
Any interested person may nominate one or more qualified persons.
Self-nominations will also be accepted.
Nomination forms may be obtained from the Office of Minority Health
Resource Center, P.O. Box 37337, Washington, D.C. 20013-7337, telephone
1-800-444-6472, TDD 301-230-7199, e-mail: info@omhrc.gov. Nomination
forms may also be downloaded from the Office of Minority Health
Resource Center web site,
http://www.omhrc.gov. All nominations and curricula vitae for the
Advisory Committee should be set to Monica Farrar at the address in
this notice.
Authority: Section 1707(c) of the Public Health Service Act, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 300u-6(c)); Federal Advisory Committee Act (5
U.S.C. appendix 2).
Dated: November 3, 1999.
Nathan Stinson, Jr.,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health.
[FR Doc. 99-29243 Filed 11-8-99; 8:45 am]
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