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Christensen Chairs New Congressional Health Commission

Delegate Donna Christensen on Monday morning convened a new commission within the Congressional Black Caucus’ Health Braintrust focused on health disparities between racial and ethnic groups.
“Our purpose is to ensure that the provisions that serve to eliminate health disparities and foster health equity are implemented to the fullest extent,” said Christensen in a statement.
All the members of the new commission, the Health Equity Leadership Commission, have substantive expertise in one or more areas of public health, health policy and health equity, according to a statement from Christensen’s office.
According to Christensen, who serves as chair, the commission was established not only to ensure that pertinent health care reform information is communicated to those in and serving racial and ethnic minority communities, but also to serve as an expert resource to the Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the various provisions in this year’s federal health reform act are planned and implemented.
“While the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) marked a historic day in this nation, a day that very few believed would ever occur, the real work of ensuring that meaningful health care reform is achieved is only beginning,” said Christensen. “This is particularly true of the numerous health equity provisions that are included in the new law.”
The health reform act has "myriad provisions" of value to minority health care, she said, potentially giving an opportunity to "finally curb some of the disastrous health disparity trends that we see reported each year in and among racial and ethnic minority communities and populations across the nation and in the U.S. Territories,” said Christensen.
“However," she added, if they are not implemented, implemented poorly, or inadequately funded, then the promise of health equity in health care reform will never become a reality.”

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