Sec. 426. Office of Minority Health in Veterans Health Administration of Department of Veterans Affairs
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Subchapter I of chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: There is established in the Department within the Office of the Under Secretary for Health an office to be known as the Office of Minority Health (in this section referred to as the Office ). The Director of the Office of Minority Health shall be the head of the Office. The Director of the Office of Minority Health shall be appointed by the Under Secretary for Health from among individuals qualified to perform the duties of the position.
The functions of the Office are as follows: To establish short-range and long-range goals and objectives and coordinate all other activities within the Veterans Health Administration that relate to disease prevention, health promotion, health care services delivery, and health care research concerning veterans who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group. To support research, demonstrations, and evaluations to test new and innovative models for the discharge of activities described in paragraph (1).
To increase knowledge and understanding of health risk factors for veterans who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group. To develop mechanisms that support better health care information dissemination, education, prevention, and services delivery to veterans from disadvantaged backgrounds, including veterans who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group. To enter into contracts or agreements with appropriate public and nonprofit private entities to develop and carry out programs to provide bilingual or interpretive services to assist veterans who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group and who lack proficiency in speaking the English language in accessing and receiving health care services through the Veterans Health Administration.
To carry out programs to improve access to health care services through the Veterans Health Administration for veterans with limited proficiency in speaking the English language, including the development and evaluation of demonstration and pilot projects for that purpose. To advise the Under Secretary for Health on matters relating to the development, implementation, and evaluation of health professions education in decreasing disparities in health care outcomes between veterans who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group and other veterans, including cultural competency as a method of eliminating such health disparities.
To perform such other functions and duties as the Secretary or the Under Secretary for Health considers appropriate. In this section: The term racial or ethnic minority group means any of the following: American Indians (including Alaska Natives, Eskimos, and Aleuts). Asian Americans. Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. Blacks. Hispanics. The term Hispanic means individuals whose origin is Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or any other Spanish-speaking country. .
The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7309A the following new item: 7310. Office of Minority Health. .