[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 216 (Tuesday, November 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61112-61113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-29243]


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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: [email protected]. 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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