The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #74204

Carmen Nevarez, MD, MPH, Medical Director and Vice President for External Relations, Public Health Institute, 2001 Addison, Suite 200, Oakland, CA 94704-1103, 510-644-8200, CRNevarez@phi.org

With passage of Proposition 209 in 1996, the state of California is barred from considering race and ethnicity in hiring, contracting and education. An initiative to amend the California state constitution takes the nest step to stop all California public institutions from collecting racial and ethnic data. Although the measure provides exemptions for medical research and the state housing program, and allows lawmakers to add other exemptions with a two-thirds vote of the Legislature, health and civil rights advocacy groups are concerned that the narrow definition of medical research will prohibit much of the health research, monitoring and surveillance activities currently in place. This presentation will describe implications of passage of the California Racial Privacy Initiative on health research, monitoring and surveillance activities. Routine collection of race and ethnicity data are needed to document and monitor existing health disparities such as asthma or breast cancer. Race and ethnicity is a powerful tool that continues to help us predict where disease will occur.

Learning Objectives:

• To describe implications of passage of the California Racial Privacy Initiative on health research.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.