National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved

11/18/2024

🌟 Exciting insights from NHIT's CEO, Luis Belen! 🌟

In his compelling Op-Ed, he emphasizes that safety in medical devices isn't just a matter of innovation; it’s about saving lives with every advancement.

Including medical devices in Right to Repair legislation could jeopardize safety and have adverse effects on our most vulnerable communities. We cannot afford to erode trust in our healthcare system!

Maintaining the FDA's rigorous standards in the medical device industry is crucial. Let's prioritize the protection of those we care about most!

Right to repair would undermine the FDA’s regulations and introduce unnecessary risk into the healthcare industry, threatening the high-quality care that doctors provide patients.

07/30/2024

Elena Rios, MD, MSPH, MACP latest article on how Hispanic communities could be negatively affected by the Medical Device Right to Repair initiative. It's important for us to be mindful of how these policies could worsen health disparities and access to essential medical devices. Let's advocate for equitable access to healthcare for all individuals, regardless of their background.



https://www.saferepairproject.com/hispanic-communities-could-suffer-from-medical-device-right-to-repair/

05/13/2024

NHIT is excited to announce our collaboration with Project! We're united in shielding the vital tech our healthcare heroes depend on from unregulated repairs. It’s time to educate all communities and champion medical devices’ exemption from right-to-repair policies for superior healthcare.

Meet Our New Partners🤝: Hispanic Leadership Fund, Patients Rising, and National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved. Together, we're committed to emphasizing the importance of keeping medical devices exempt from right-to-repair. Patient safety is our shared priority – it's non-negotiable. https://www.saferepairproject.com/safe-repair-project-welcomes-three-new-organizations-to-its-efforts/

01/15/2024

🌟 Honored to be chosen as the recipient of the 2024 NYU Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award! 🏆 It's a tremendous recognition of my commitment to the values and ideals championed by Dr. King — peace, dedication, and inspiring action. 🙌

From serving as a El Faro Beacon Center Youth Board Member in East Harlem to being an A Better Chance / Strath Haven, and as a young student at NYU, my goal has always been to make a meaningful social impact in our vulnerable communities. Being acknowledged for embodying Dr. King's vision of justice and equality is truly humbling. 💙

As my daughter Natalia once said, "Dad, you walk so that others can run." I'm grateful to stand on the shoulders of visionary leaders who've made sacrifices for a cause greater than themselves. On February 8th, I'll accept this esteemed award on behalf of those who've paved the way before me and those who'll follow. 🙏

Our world-class students, faculty, and scholars expect high achievement in pursuit of engaging the world's diverse challenges.

12/05/2023

Tune in on Dec. 7 for the President's Cancer Panel third meeting of their series, Reducing Cancer Care Inequities: Leveraging Technology to Enhance Patient Navigation. Hear Mr. Luis Belen, CEO of NHIT, speak on policy opportunities to advance patient navigation technologies. Information gathered during this meeting series will guide the development of the Panel’s report to the President of the United States. This meeting is open to the public and will be broadcasted live. For more information, please visit: https://prescancerpanel.cancer.gov/reports/2023/policy-considerations/

This will be the second of three public meetings hosted by the President’s Cancer Panel on the topic of Reducing Cancer Care Inequities: Leveraging Technology to Enhance Patient Navigation.

10/12/2023

Celebrating an incredible achievement in public service! 🎉🏆 Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, was awarded the NHIT Health Equity and Inclusiveness Award for Excellence in Public Service! 👏🌍 At the 15th anniversay awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., we witnessed Dr. Martínez-López's unwavering dedication to promoting health equity and inclusiveness.

“The work that we do as a team in military medicine using technology and telemedicine can be shared across the entire health system, helping to even the field in health care for the underserved,” said Martínez.

“The work you have done as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness for all United States Department of Defense health and force health protection policies, programs, activities, and the Integrated Disability Evaluation System is making a positive difference in the lives of the members of our military services and their families,” said Belen “Your commitment to addressing health disparities is of historical significance and appreciated by underserved communities.”

NHIT is committed supporting our amazing military service members and their families!
Military Health

The National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved recognized Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Lester Martínez-López at its 15th anniversary reception on Sept. 20, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

10/12/2023

We’re proud to announce that National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved recognized Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Martinez for his work and years in public service addressing the needs of the underserved.

Full story: https://health.mil/News/Dvids-Articles/2023/10/10/news455482

10/10/2023

We had an amazing time at the NHIT Health Equity Breakfast! It was incredible to hear the diverse perspectives and insights from our panelists. 🗣️🙌🏽 Thank you to everyone who attended and made this event a success! Let's keep the momentum going and work together towards achieving health equity for all. 💪🏽✨

Let’s Do This Together!

10/06/2023

Dear NHIT Community, we are thrilled to share with you a powerful video message from our very own CEO, Luis Belen, at the National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved (NHIT).

🎥 Video Title: "Empowering Health Equity: A Message from Luis Belen, CEO of NHIT"

In this inspiring message, Luis delves into why the work we do at NHIT Matters!

🌐 Join us on this journey as we aim to optimize health information technology for all, creating thriving communities where everyone has equal access to the tools that can change lives.

This is "Empowering Health Equity: A Message from Luis Belen, CEO of NHIT" by NHIT on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

09/07/2023

🎉 Join us in celebrating 15 years of NHIT's commitment to health equity! 🌟
Since 2008, NHIT has been at the forefront of addressing health disparities. To mark this milestone, we have a series of special events lined up for September. Join us in making a difference! 🙌

15th Anniversary Reception & Health Equity Awards 📅 Wed, Sep 20, 6:00-8:00 PM 📍 Raul Yzaguirre Building, Washington, D.C.
Register Now: https://bit.ly/NHIT15

NHIT Legislative Health Equity Summit 📅 Thu, Sep 21, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM 🏛️ Venue: Cannon Building, Caucus Room
Register Now: https://bit.ly/NHITSummit

NHIT Legislative Health Equity Summit

08/14/2023

National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved (NHIT)15th Anniversary Reception and Health Equity and Inclusiveness Awards Ceremony (HEIA)

The NHIT 15th Anniversary Reception and NHIT Health Equity and Inclusiveness Awards Ceremony (HEIA) will take place from 6 pm to 8 pm on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at the Raul Yzaguirre Building, 1126 16th Street, NW, in Washington, DC. The NHEIAs are part of the group’s efforts to consolidate the different awards that they give throughout the year into an annual ceremony that will help NHIT commemorate its landmark anniversary while recognizing the outstanding contributions of individuals and institutions to addressing health disparities in underserved communities. NHIT expects close to 150 leaders, health equity allies, and advocates from across government, industry, research, education, and the not-for-profit sector to join us that night to celebrate 15 years of continued service since receiving funding from the Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S.Department of Health and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), and support from over 100 organizations as part of an effort to “ensure that underserved populations are included as health information technologies are developed and deployed.”

The NHIT Health Equity Legislative Summit which started as a policy forum back in 2008 has evolved into the premier public policy forum dedicated to health and health technology policies and programs that address health disparities in underserved communities and brings together a broad range of health equity allies and advocates from across government, industry, research, education, and not-for-profit sectors. This year’s theme is Closing the Health Equity Gap: The Role of Innovation, Broadband Access, and Strategic Investments in Providing Quality Healthcare to Underserved Communities. The Summit will take place on Capitol Hill from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm ET on Thursday, September 21, 2023, in Washington, DC.

NHIT 2023 Awardees: Governor Albert Bryan Jr., Hon. Jenniffer Gonzalez, Lester Martinez-Lopez, Allyson Fryhoff, Juliet K. Choi, Mark Colón, Mara Candelaria Reardon, and Keralty