Introductory letter

ATTACHMENT D

OFFICE OF MINORITY HEALTH STATE AND TERRITORIAL HEALTH DISPARITIES SURVEY

INTRODUCTORY LETTERS

<Date>

<Name>

<Organization>

<Address>

<City, State, Zip>

Dear <Name>:

 

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to announce our 2015 State and Territorial Health Disparities Survey. This survey is being conducted to inform and assist OMH in identifying the most appropriate methods for addressing social determinants of health, eliminating health disparities, and achieving health equity through its partnerships with state and territorial minority health entities (state and territorial offices of minority health). It will also help inform and assist state and territorial minority health entities in their efforts. We encourage {state or territory}’s participation in the survey.

Westat, a leading social science research firm, is conducting the survey on our behalf and will be contacting you within the next week. We request your help in identifying the individual in your state or territory who is best able to speak to issues of minority health, health disparities, and health equity. When the Westat researcher contacts you, we ask that you please identify the individual most appropriate to discuss your {state’s or territory’s} goals and activities, staffing, and funding with respect to minority health, health disparities, and health equity.

Please know that participation in this survey is voluntary. It is, however, very important that we hear from every state and territory in order to help strengthen OMH’s approach to advancing health equity through, in part, continued engagement and partnership with state and territorial minority health entities, and in order to help strengthen the usefulness of the information we are able to provide to state and territorial minority health entities. The telephone interview with your designated respondent is expected to take approximately one hour. A list of topics included in the interview is enclosed with this letter. The information from this survey will be incorporated into a State and Territorial Health Disparities Report that will be published on the OMH website.

We appreciate your time and value our continued partnership with you.

Sincerely,

J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health

Director, Office of Minority Health

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Enclosure

cc:

RHA

RMHC

<Date>

<Name>

<Organization>

<Address>

<City, State, Zip>

Dear <Name>:

 

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to announce our 2015 State and Territorial Health Disparities Survey, an important national survey to understand how states and territories are addressing social determinants of health and striving to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity.

{Primary State Contact and Title} indicated that you would be able to speak about issues of minority health, health disparities, and health equity in {state/territory}. We request your help in understanding {state/territory}’s goals and activities, staffing, and funding and invite you to participate in OMH’s survey. The survey will be conducted by telephone and is expected to take approximately one hour. The survey is designed as a conversation so that we can maximize the amount of contextual information we collect to understand the unique situation of each state and territory.

Westat, a leading social science research firm, is conducting the survey on our behalf and will be contacting you within the next week. Please see the enclosed list of survey topics as well as a few questions that can be completed in advance of the survey.

Please know that participation in this survey is voluntary. It is, however, very important that we hear from every state and territory in order to help strengthen OMH’s approach to advancing health equity through, in part, continued engagement and partnership with state and territorial minority health entities, and in order to help strengthen the usefulness of the information we are able to provide to state and territorial minority health entities. The information from this survey will be incorporated into a State and Territorial Health Disparities Report that will be published on the OMH website. Your name will not be published or associated with the responses you provide.

We appreciate your time and value our continued partnership with you.

Sincerely,

J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health

Director, Office of Minority Health

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Enclosure

cc:

RHA

RMHC