Office of Minority Health and Equity

Vision and Mission

NOMHE’s vision is to achieve optimal levels of health and wellness for all minority groups and marginalized communities across the state.

NOMHE’s mission is to avoid and/or reverse disproportionately experienced, health-related disparities among the state’s most vulnerable, high-risk populations.

To achieve this mission involves:

• Embedding health equity principles into the operations of state agencies and human service providing organizations;
• Collaboratively developing strategies to achieve sustainable, system-changing initiatives;
• Generating public awareness and education around disparities in health outcomes;
• Partnering with stakeholders/advocates invested in health equity whose focus impact all categories of the social determinants of health;
• Providing equity-focused technical assistance to organizations ranging from public or private sector to faith-based institutions;
• Serving as the cross-jurisdictional liaison to identify equity-focused resources, grants and information for maximum distribution;
• Facilitating academic and/or scientific investigations or needs assessments to produce minority-specific health data and amplifying the findings;
• Diversifying clinical trial participation; and
• Monitoring and/or Influencing health-focused policy development for inclusiveness and responsiveness to minority health needs.

The mission is supported by the input of an advisory committee and subcommittees.

NOMHE Advisory Committee

The mission of NOMHE is supported by the NOMHE Advisory Committee, which is comprised of nine members from across the state who are passionate about minority health issues and committed to eliminating health disparities in Nevada. Each is invested in the conscious, systemic embedding of equity-focused principles into policy and health-related practices. 

Click here to visit the NOMHE Advisory Committee web page.

Cultural Competency Training

To help improve health care delivery in Nevada, licensed health facilities must provide cultural competency training for all staff. For full information, including a list of approved trainings, visit the Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance's Cultural Competency web page.

This requirement under Nevada law furthers NOMHE's mission of reversing health disparities by working to ensure a culturally competent health care system that provides diverse and socially appropriate services to all patients. Doctors, nurses and other facility staff who have effective interpersonal and working relationships that supersede cultural differences are essential to successful health care outcomes for patients and residents. Evidence shows that cultural competency training improves knowledge of health care staff, raises attitudes of the client population and, ultimately, accelerates patient satisfaction through acceptance from their providers and environment.

Content includes resources that enable organizations to learn more about cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion. This content does not meet the requirements for mandatory cultural competency for health facilities under the revised statute NRS 449.0303. 

Minority Health Reports

The state of Nevada, through the Nevada Health Authority's Office of Analytics with assistance from NOMHE, produces a biannual Minority Health Report. The Minority Health Reports contain awareness raising references acknowledging conditions such as Minority Mental health awareness month (i.e. July). The most recent Minority Health Report is from 2025. It features vulnerability and health equity indexing, a powerful tool that enables public officials to identify communities that are most vulnerable to vital factors that impact socioeconomic status, household composition, minority status and language, housing and transportation. New health indicators included in the 2025 report are: access to health; maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity; COVID-19 related; drug poisonings; juvenile arrests and detentions; and colorectal cancer.

Click below to read the most recent report.

• 2025 Minority Health Report.pdf

To review and contrast reports from previous years click here. 

Featured video: Food Facts, Not Fiction

Ready to sort fact from fiction? Listen in as subject matter experts unpack common myths about nutrition guidance and federal food benefit programs during this NOMHE webinar from May 6, 2026. We explore how dietary recommendations have evolved, why misinformation persists, and how it shapes community decision-making. The session also breaks down misconceptions about SNAP: what it offers, who it supports, and what participation really looks like. It’s a practical, community focused discussion that helps viewers separate fact from fiction. Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month

In 2011, the United States Breastfeeding Committee officially designated August as National Breastfeeding Month. The 2026 theme for National Breastfeeding Month, "RISE: Resilience, Interdependence, Self-Determination, Empowerment," celebrates the strength, leadership, and collective power of the First Food field. Grounded in these four values, it honors the organizations, advocates, and communities working together to advance policy, systems, and environmental change and improve access to human milk and breastfeeding support for every family. The sunrise featured in this year's visual identity symbolizes hope, renewal, and the enduring spirit of our community.

Breastfeeding is widely acknowledged as a vital preventive measure, shielding both infants and parents from a range of acute and chronic illnesses and promoting lifelong health and well-being. The duration of a parent's breastfeeding can be affected by various social factors, including the availability of parental leave, workplace policies, cultural expectations, family support, education, and the level of assistance provided by the healthcare system.

To access the Breastfeeding Awareness Toolkit, please click: Breastfeeding Awareness Toolkit 2026 Final ADA.pdf