PUBLIC LAW 101-527—NOV. 6, 1990 104 STAT. 2311 Public Law 101-527 101st Congress An Act To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve the health of individuals who are ^^ „ -.gnn members of minority groups and who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, and for — _ ' — other purposes. LH.R. 5702] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, Disadvantaged Minority Health SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND FINDINGS. Improvement (a) SHORT TITLE. —T h is Act may be cited as the "Disadvantaged 42^use 201 note. Minority Health Improvement Act of 1990". OJ) FINDINGS.— The Congress finds that— 42U8C300u-6 (1) racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately rep- ' ^°*®- resented among individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds; (2) the health status of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities, in the United States is significantly lower than the health status of the general population of the United States; (3) minorities suffer disproportionately high rates of cancer, stroke, heart diseases, diabetes, substance abuse, acquired immune deficiency sjnidrome, and other diseases and disorders; (4) the incidence of infant mortality among minorities is almost double that for the general population; (5) Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans constitute approximately 12 percent, 7.9 percent, and 0.01 percent, respectively, of the population of the United States; (6) Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans in the United States constitute approximately 3 percent, 4 percent, and less than 0.01 percent, respectively, of physicians, 2.7 percent, 1.7 percent, and less than 0.01 percent, respectively, of dentists, and 4.5 percent, 1.6 percent, and less than 0.01 percent, respectively, of nurses; (7) the number of individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds in health professions should be increased for the purpose of improving the access of other such individuals to health services; (8) minority health professionals have historically tended to practice in low-income areas and to serve minorities; (9) minority health professionals have historically tended to engage in the general practice of medicine and specialties providing primary care; (10) reports published in leading medical journals indicate that access to health care among minorities can be substantially improved by increasing the number of minority health professionals; (11) increasing the number of minorities serving on the faculties of health professions schools can be an important factor in attracting minorities to pursue a career in the health professions; 49-139 O - 90 (527)
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