{"id":18112,"date":"2026-04-24T11:35:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T15:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=18112"},"modified":"2026-04-24T11:40:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T15:40:02","slug":"richmond-and-henrico-health-districts-highlight-persistent-disparities-during-national-minority-health-month","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/richmond-and-henrico-health-districts-highlight-persistent-disparities-during-national-minority-health-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Highlight Persistent Disparities During National Minority Health Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>April 23, 2026<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, <a href=\"mailto:bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov\">bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Highlight Persistent Disparities <\/strong><strong>During National Minority Health Month<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>RICHMOND, Va<\/strong>. \u2013 During <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalminorityhealthmonth.org\/main\/\">National Minority Health Month<\/a>, Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) work to spotlight the persistent health disparities impacting racial and ethnic minority communities. These long-documented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/racial-equity-and-health-policy\/how-history-has-shaped-racial-and-ethnic-health-disparities-a-timeline-of-policies-and-events\/\">disparities<\/a> reflect structural and systemic inequities rooted in historical and ongoing racism and discrimination. With the mission to protect health, champion equity and partner to address local needs, RHHD encourages individuals, communities, and organizations to take concrete steps to advance health equity and address the social, economic, and environment conditions that lead to avoidable inequalities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNational Minority Health reminds us that many of the health differences we see today are not new and not random,\u201d said Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Population Health Manager Tamara Jones-Groves. \u201cAt RHHD, we are committed to using data, community partnerships, and community-driven solutions to better understand these disparities and support healthier outcomes for all residents.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Disparities in Richmond City and Henrico County<\/h2>\n<p>Black communities across Richmond City and Henrico County often experience higher rates of chronic diseases such cardiovascular disease and poor health outcomes compared to their White counterparts. For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In 2024 in Richmond City, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/data\/chronic-disease-in-virginia\/hospitalizations-demographics\/\">hospitalization rate for cardiovascular disease<\/a> in the Black population was roughly three times higher than in the White population.<\/li>\n<li>In 2024 in Henrico County, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/data\/maternal-child-health\/mch-indicators\/\">infant mortality rate<\/a> in the Black population was more than three times higher than in the White population.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/data\/virginia-cancer-dashboards\/top-cancers-in-virginia\/\">Between 2019 and 2023<\/a> in Richmond City the mortality rate for prostate cancer in the Black population was five times higher than in the White population. During that same period, the mortality rate for colorectal cancer in the Black population was more than twice as high as in the White population.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To protect health and address health disparities, RHHD offers a variety of low or no-cost <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/clinical-services\/\">clinical services<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/sample-page\/programs\/\">programs<\/a> to Richmond City and Henrico County community members. RHHD also shares resources at a variety of community events. To request RHHD presence at a community event, please fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/redcap.vdh.virginia.gov\/redcap\/surveys\/?s=XNNCDA8N3WNDKJWY\">online form<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Statewide Initiatives<\/h2>\n<p>Virginia officials are highlighting resources such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.vdh.virginia.gov\/omhhe\/hoi\/\">Office of Health Equity\u2019s Health Opportunity Index (HOI)<\/a>, which assist communities in pinpointing specific factors contributing to inequitable and poor health outcomes. With the data from the HOI, local health districts can work with policymakers, community leaders, and concerned residents on the programs and strategies needed to ensure that all Virginians have what they need to live long and healthy lives. Having localized data down to the census tract level helps VDH conduct community outreach, including free health screenings, vaccination events, and educational workshops, and better meet the needs of communities of color.<\/p>\n<p>Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/rhhd.gov\/\">rhhd.gov<\/a> for more health and safety information. Follow RHHD on Instagram (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/richmondcity_hd\">@richmondcity_hd<\/a>) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RichmondHenricoHealthDistricts\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>April 23, 2026 Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Highlight Persistent Disparities During National Minority Health Month RICHMOND, Va. \u2013 During National Minority Health Month, Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) work to spotlight the persistent health disparities impacting racial and ethnic minority communities. These long-documented disparities reflect structural and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[1625],"class_list":["post-18112","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-minority-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Highlight Persistent Disparities During National Minority Health Month - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/richmond-and-henrico-health-districts-highlight-persistent-disparities-during-national-minority-health-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Highlight Persistent Disparities During National Minority Health Month - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"April 23, 2026 Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Highlight Persistent Disparities During National Minority Health Month RICHMOND, Va. \u2013 During National Minority Health Month, Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) work to spotlight the persistent health disparities impacting racial and ethnic minority communities. 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