GEHA celebrates National Minority Health Month

Did you know nearly 20% of people in the United States speak a language other than English at home?

Or that more than 60% of racial and ethnic minority patients over 18 want a health care provider that understands their culture?

Bringing awareness to issues like these are why April was designated National Minority Health Month by The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the Office of Minority Health.

In response to these issues of health disparity in minority communities, GEHA founded the Barbara Sheffield Medical Scholarship fund. The 11 scholarships paid for with this fund attempt to address the lack of diversity among physicians by providing tuition-paid opportunities for Black medical students.

Similarly, GEHA Solutions, a subsidiary of GEHA, has created a $250,000+ scholarship and fellowship investment in conjunction with the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s School of Dentistry and Browngirl, RDH. This money provides dental scholarships, dental hygiene scholarships and pre-dental fellowships designed to assist potential dental school students with testing and interviews. These scholarships and fellowships are available to students representing historically marginalized communities.

The roots of National Minority Health Month extend back more than 100 years ago. This year’s theme of Better Health Through Better Understanding aims to provide racial and ethnic minorities with health care services, information and resources that share those communities’ language and culture. Learn more and see how to get involved