Rep. Jackson Introduces Bill To Increase Health Research On Minority And Underserved Communities

Jet, Sept 6, 1999

Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), along with 70 co-sponsors, recently introduced bipartisan legislation to elevate the Office of Research on Minority Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to a National Center for Research on Domestic Health Disparities.

"At the dawn of the new millennium, we must shed new light on old problems that keep some Americans crouched in fear and pain," said Rep. Jackson. "Although NIH-supported research has dramatically improved the quality of life for many Americans, ethnic minorities and individuals in medically underserved communities continue to suffer disproportionately from many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS."

The bill calls for dedication of more resources and research to solving the health disparities by:

-Providing the authority for the National Center to serve in a leadership capacity in increasing NIH's focus on domestic health disparities;

-Empowering the director of the National Center to develop a comprehensive plan for minority health research at NIH;

-Authorizing the director of the National Center to directly award peer-reviewed grants for minority health research;

-Establishing a scientific advisory council for the National Center to determine program and research direction; and

-Establishing research endowment programs at minority universities that are studying diseases that disproportionately impact minority and underserved communities.