Center for Elimination of Disproportionality and Disparities

Health Equity Initiatives

The center leads or takes part in a number of initiatives related to its mission to help eliminate health disparities. 

Texas State Partnership to Address and Eliminate Health Disparities

The Texas State Partnership to Address and Eliminate Health Disparities-Phase II is a three-year project funded by the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health to address significant disparities in occurrence and outcomes in heart disease, stroke, and obesity indicators of health, especially in African-American and Hispanic populations in Texas.  As a part of the initiative, the Center for Elimination of Disproportionality and Disparities convened a multidisciplinary team of researchers; public health, substance abuse and mental health staff; and community and organizational stakeholders to investigate and provide a better understanding of the role of behavioral, biological, and socioeconomic variables. The project focuses on:

• Linking to the center’s existing statewide network to build capacity to help develop policy actions relevant to their community needs.
• Providing technical support to enhance the leadership skills and capacities of communities in eliminating health disparities in Texas.
• Expanding the scope of our efforts to eliminate health disparities to identify and strategically confront the connection between health disparities and the social determinants of health and reform proposed strategies.

Learning Lunch Series

The Center for Elimination of Disproportionality and Disparities sponsors a monthly learning lunch series through the Texas State Partnership grant. The series features speakers with expertise in different facets of health disparities. These sessions provide professional, structured, interactive training and education on best practices, evidence-based interventions and policies. Other trainings are available on various health disparities topics. Continuing education for multiple disciplines will be provided for these events. Contact CEDD for more information. 

Nutrition, Physical Activity, Obesity Prevention and Tobacco Prevention 

The Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention and Tobacco Prevention Initiatives are funded by a federal grant. The initiatives provide training and technical assistance activities related to health equity for purposes of supporting the physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco control initiatives funded under the federal Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant. Training and technical assistance activities shall be provided to the Texas Department of State Health Services and its contractors to:

• Implement culturally competent services among populations with the highest burden of tobacco-related health disparities.
• Implement culturally competent services to populations experiencing health disparities related to obesity and related chronic diseases.

African-American Medicaid Managed Care Study

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission contracted for an independent study to identify the extent that Texas HealthSteps participants received care. The study, conducted by Altarum Institute, found that African-American children with Medicaid coverage were more likely to receive no care covered by managed care or only emergency room or inpatient hospital care as compared to other children. The Center for the Elimination of Disproportionality and Disparities is providing technical assistance to better understand reasons which may have resulted in a higher rate of no care among African-American children enrolled in Medicaid.