Office of Health Equity

About Us

What We Do
Maine's Office of Minority Health program address disease prevention, health promotion, risk reduction, healthier lifestyle choices, use of health care services, and barriers to health care. The Office also:
  1. promotes the collection of health data by racial, ethic, and primary language categories and strengthening infrastructives for data collection, reporting, and sharing;
  2. works to increase awareness of the major health problem of racial and ethic minorities and factors that influence health;
  3. establishes and strengthens networks, coalitions, and partnerships to identify and solve health problems; develops and promotes policies, programs, and practices to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equality
  4. Provides technical assistance, training and seminars.
How We Accomplish Our Goals
The overall approach is to effect systems change within the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Me.CDC), The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Grantee Agencies, and community partners. The primary strategies are leadership enagagement and communuity collaboration. We work with, and fully engage with communities to address health inequities for its vulnerable populations; taking the knowledge and information obtained through our engagement with the communities back to the legislature and policy makers.
History and Background
The Office of Minority Health was established in 2006, organizationally located in Administration of the Maine CDC, and provides agency-wide assistance and coordination of minority health initiatives that are both culturally and linguistically appropriate. Office activities are directed at the elimination of health disparities through a variety of public interventions, including both health systems interventions and the promotion of public policies that support the unique needs of Maines minority communities.

The Office of Minority Health promotes the health of Maines racial and ethnic minority communities. The Office collaborates with other Maine CDC and DHHS programs and divisions, along with community and other partners to identify and address racial and ethnic health disparities.
Organizational Structure