NEWS RELEASE
May 30, 1997

Color Me Healthy Emphasizes Minority Health in June

Improving the health status of Michigan's five populations of color is the focus of Color Me Healthy during Minority Health Month in June, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) announced today. The effort centers on African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Arab American/Chaldeans, and Asian and Pacific Islanders.

"Many health risks are higher for some members of minority populations," said MDCH Director James K. Haveman, Jr. "It is important for people of color to know if they are at higher risk for certain diseases and conditions and, if so, what they can do to reduce their risks." Like most Americans, populations of color can improve their health through increased exercise, improved nutrition, and other sustained health-seeking behaviors.

Michigan has already decreased many health risks among populations of color:

The age-adjusted death rate for heart disease in African American women fell from 203.1 per 100,000 in 1980 to 175.4 in 1995.

Age-adjusted death rates for liver disease in Native Americans dropped from 30.9 per 100,000 in 1980-82 to 26.2 in 1992-1994.

Infant mortality rates have decreased for all populations of color. The rate for Arab Americans/Chaldeans dropped from 7.7 per thousand live births in 1991 to 5.8 in 1995. For Hispanics, it declined from 11.4 in 1991 to 7.6 in 1995. Among Asian and Pacific Islanders, it dropped from 6.8 in 1990 to 5.3 in 1995.

Among the initiatives aimed at reducing health risks in populations of color is a series of grants administered by the MDCH Office of Minority Health totaling more than $500,000 statewide. Another MDCH program, a three-year pilot project with the Michigan Neighborhood Partnership totaling $750,000, focuses on chronic disease prevention and health promotion services in southeastern Michigan.

For Immediate Release Press Contact: Geralyn Lasher
May 30, 1997 517-241-2112