Section 6.282. Office of Health Equity Advisory Committee

(a) Establishment and membership: The Health Equity Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee) is hereby established. The membership of the Advisory Committee will be at the discretion of the Secretary of Health and will, at a minimum, include representatives of academia, provider community, faith based community and organized representatives of disparate populations.

(b) Powers and duties. The Advisory Committee has the following duties:

(1) Advise the Secretary of Health on matters concerning health inequalities and recommend actions which are data-driven, evidence-based and culturally aware; increase public awareness of the existence of health disparities; and mobilize Statewide, community and individual actions to eliminate health disparities in this Commonwealth.

(2) Assist in the identification of Federal and private foundation funding to support programs that address health disparities.

(3) Assist in identifying the conditions and causes of disparities and prioritizing strategies to address the elimination of health disparities.

(4) Enhance the coordination and support of existing Commonwealth programs, including, but not limited to, the following:

(i) Identification of evidence-based practices.

(ii) Provision of advice and guidance about public and private resources.

(iii) Dissemination of information on programs to reduce and eliminate identified disparities.

(iv) Utilization of assessment tools to improve cultural competency of health care providers.

(5) Provide advice and guidance to the Governor through the Office of Health Equity and the Secretary of Health on programs and activities to accelerate the elimination of disparities in the delivery of health care in this Commonwealth.