SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 21
(By Senators Hunter, Weeks, Unger, Jenkins and Foster)
Recognizing the need to increase resources and make other changes
essential to the elimination of racial and ethnic health
disparities in West Virginia.
Whereas, Racial, ethnic and cultural groups have a
disproportionately high rate of disease, disability and death
because minorities are less likely than whites to receive health
services; and
Whereas, More than twice as many pregnant African-American
women than pregnant Caucasian women in West Virginia go without
prenatal care within the first trimester of pregnancy; and
Whereas, Within West Virginia, more than twice as many
African-Americans than Caucasians die from diabetes and prostate
cancer; and
Whereas, Having health insurance coverage does not guarantee
receipt of needed medical care among older African-American adults
living in West Virginia; and
Whereas, A state should have a diverse health care workforce
with providers who know the values, beliefs, traditions and
cultures of the patients they serve; and
Whereas, The database inventory of the Bureau for Public
Health does not include African-American, Indian or other minority physicians practicing in West Virginia; and
Whereas, Data is essential for policymakers, state agencies
and private health care systems to identify minority health
disparities, to improve minority health programs and to measure
progress in eliminating disparities; and
Whereas, The West Virginia Minority Health Chart Book
reporting data on the health of minorities in this state has not
been updated since its publication in 1999; and
Whereas, A Minority Health Program Coordinator is employed by
the Division of Rural Health, but the Division receives no
dedicated state funding for minority health programming and there
is no active minority health advisory group nor is there a
statewide minority health plan; and
Whereas, A strong state minority health office needs
sufficient human and financial resources, a statewide minority
health plan, a statewide advisory group and data on health
disparities and performance measures to address racial and ethnic
health disparities and design strategies to eliminate disparities;
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby recognizes the need to increase
resources and make other changes essential to the elimination of
racial and ethnic health disparities in West Virginia; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, the Marshall University School of Medicine, the West
Virginia University School of Medicine and other state colleges and
universities should strive to produce a diverse health care
workforce that mirrors the state population and a workforce that is
trained in the cultural and linguistic differences of the minority
populations they may serve; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Bureau for Public Health should
collect, analyze and report health data by race and ethnicity at
regular intervals not exceeding every two years so that it is
available to help determine what programs and strategies are
essential to eliminating minority health disparities; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Bureau for Public Health seek
funding from private and public sources for the operation of the
Minority Health Program; and, be it
Further Resolved, That Bureau for Public Health should rename
its Minority Health Program the Office of Minority Health and
establish a statewide minority health advisory council with members
from both within and without government which should be charged
with preparing a statewide minority health plan; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Minority Health Program is
encouraged to partner with hospitals and other providers, academic
institutions and others to take advantage of resources available
through those partners.
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