About the Office

The Office of Minority Health and Disparities Elimination's (OMHDE) mission is to promote health policies, programs, and services designed to improve health and quality of life by preventing and controlling the disproportionate burden of disease, injury, and disability among disparate populations, particularly racial and ethnic minorities.  The OMHDE seeks to empower communities to support optimal health for all and to eliminate disparities for racial, ethnic and underserved populations.  OMHDE strategic priorities are: Health in All Policies, Capacity Building, Partner Engagement, Alignment and Coordination, and Monitoring and Improved Performance. 

The Office also serves as a central point of contact for the Department on minority health issues.  Racial and ethnic populations in Tennessee consist primarily of African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and Asian/Pacific Islanders.  OMHDE recognizes that disparate populations often experience poor health due to health inequities, driven by Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), limited prevention measures and inadequate access to health care.  It is our desire to use collaborative efforts to support community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, academic institutions, coalitions, and other entities to address the health issues that affect disparate populations in the state of Tennessee. These efforts include community outreach, education, seminars, competitive funding opportunities and health promotion campaigns.