Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Adjoa Kyerematen
akyerematen@nmqf.org
202-220-8505

National Minority Quality Forum Announces 2025 National Minority Health Month Theme: “Health Unlocked: Access, Alignment, Action”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 1, 2025) — The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) proudly announces the 2025 theme for National Minority Health Month: “Health Unlocked: Access, Alignment, Action.” This year’s theme recognizes the evolving challenges in healthcare that disproportionately impact medically underserved communities. As systemic barriers to care persist and new threats emerge, NMQF calls on stakeholders to unlock solutions that align healthcare with human needs and ensure equitable access for all.

Unlocking Access: A Critical Pathway to Health Equity

Access to quality, timely, and culturally competent care remains the cornerstone of health equity. Yet, millions in vulnerable, underserved communities, particularly communities of color and rural communities, face persistent barriers to preventive services, lifesaving treatments, and essential healthcare innovations. NMQF believes that as the healthcare landscape shifts, it is imperative to remove obstacles caused by socioeconomic disparities, geographic isolation, and structural inequities. Ensuring equitable access is not just a moral imperative but a necessary step toward reducing preventable morbidity and mortality in underserved populations.

Aligning Healthcare with Human and Biological Needs

NMQF believes that true health equity requires aligning healthcare delivery with the biological and social realities that shape individual health outcomes. Policies must be recalibrated to reflect the natural processes of human biology and the diverse needs of marginalized communities. Misaligned policies perpetuate disparities and disrupt care continuity. 

“By fostering alignment between healthcare systems”, Dr. Gary Puckrein, President, National Minority Quality Forum, “community priorities, and patient-centered approaches, we can advance evidence-based solutions that acknowledge the interconnectedness of biology, environment, and lived experiences”.

Taking Action to Protect Vulnerable Communities in Uncertain Times

NMQF urges policymakers, clinicians, and advocates to take bold, coordinated action to reduce patient risk, prevent avoidable deaths, and drive transformative change in healthcare delivery. Pathways to optimal care can be unlocked through sustained collaboration and decisive action, ensuring that no community is left behind in the pursuit of health equity.

“Health Unlocked: Access, Alignment, Action” serves as a rallying call for healthcare leaders, policymakers, and advocates to commit to systemic change that removes barriers, centers human needs, and advances equitable outcomes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Are you a patient advocacy organization or community-based organization working to end disparities? Click this link to share your story about how your organization is working in community: https://senja.io/p/nmqf/r/KWEoFY

Are you a patient impacted by lack of health resources or the fragmented, broken health system? Click this link to share your story: https://senja.io/p/nmqf/r/Aeqdgm

Are you a health or clinical researcher who has a story to share about evidence-based solutions or work helping underserved communities? Click this link to share your story: https://senja.io/p/nmqf/r/dXa21i

For more information on National Minority Health Month and NMQF’s ongoing work, please visit http://www.nationalminorityhealthmonth.org or the organization’s website at http://www.nmqf.org

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