Established in 1994 in Washington, DC, the National Hispanic Medical Association is a non-profit association representing the interests of 45,000 licensed Hispanic physicians in the United States. The vision of the organization is to be the national leader to improve the health of Hispanic populations. The mission of the organization is to empower Hispanic physicians to lead efforts to improve the health of Hispanic populations in collaboration with the state, regional and local level Hispanic medical societies, resident and medical student organizations, and other public and private sector partners.
As a rapidly growing national resource based in the nation's capital, NHMA provides policymakers and health care providers with expert information and support in strengthening health service delivery to Hispanic communities across the nation. At its inception, NHMA held strategic planning meetings with physicians in five cities of the country, identifying the most critical issues they were facing and we took steps to define a blueprint of future activities in the following areas: delivery system, medical education, research, policy, and communications. In 1997, NHMA began convening its Annual Hispanic Health Conference in March each year in Washington, DC. Our agenda includes expanding access to quality health care, increasing opportunities in medical education, cultural competence, and research for Latinos. Another focus is policy development and education efforts focused on eliminating health disparities faced by Latinos. The Board of Directors sets the priorities for our advocacy agenda. The NHMA works closely with the White House, Federal agencies and Congress, the private sector, foundations as well as national Hispanic organizations. As a member of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, we meet regularly with Federal officials to hold them accountable on Hispanic issues. NHMA also works closely with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) on health care policy development. In addition, NHMA participates in coalitions with other organizations focused on improving racial/ethnic disparities in health for our country.
