Health Observances

Young girl marking a calendar with a pencil

The CMS Office of Minority Health welcomes your participation in promoting observances throughout the year to raise awareness about health issues affecting people across our nation. Share our resources on prevention, health equity, and research about health disparities.

A middle aged woman in a wheelchair smiling and holding a tenis racket

Spotlight

Advance health equity through accessibility

Throughout July, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) celebrates Disability Pride Month and the anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).

Enacted on July 26, 1990, the ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities based on race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment options, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs. CMS OMH honors this observance by highlighting the unique health care challenges and barriers faced by those living with disabilities.

Twenty-seven percent of adults in the United States have some type of disability, with mobility (serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs) and cognitive (serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions) disabilities being the most prominent types. Individuals living with disabilities often face worse overall health outcomes, including likelihood of obesity (41.6%), diabetes (15.9%), and heart disease (9.6%).

Additionally, individuals living with disabilities experience barriers to care, with 1 in 4 adults living with disabilities not having access to a usual health care provider, 1 in 4 having an unmet health care need due to cost in the past year, and 1 in 5 adults with disabilities not having a routine check-up in the past year. These obstacles put individuals living with disabilities at increased risk for worse health outcomes.

CMS OMH recognizes the importance of working together to help address these barriers and disparities impacting individuals living with disabilities. The anniversary of the ADA serves as an important reminder to reaffirm our dedication to ensuring people with disabilities have access to quality health care services and gives us the opportunity to share valuable resources to support and empower individuals living with disabilities.

Find these resources on our health observance page this month or our Improving Access to Care for People with Disabilities page all year long.