U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra was in San Diego County Friday as part of a nationwide campaign promoting health care equity.
Why it matters
The visit was part of Becerra’s National Latino Health Tour where he is teaming up with community partners and health care systems to address health inequities faced by Latinos and communities of color.
Becerra invited researchers and other innovators from minority-serving institutions across California to explore new ways to improve diversity, access and inclusion in clinical trials. The event was hosted by San Diego State University and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, known as ARPA-H — a federal agency launched in 2022 that funds new and innovative approaches to health.
Becerra emphasized issues like cancer — the leading cause of death among Latinos — and the need for inclusion in clinical trials.
“It’s about making sure we include everybody, whether it's making sure that there's someone who can participate in a trial that's no more than 30 minutes away, or whether it simply means that the product of that research will reach everyone in this country and won't leave anyone behind,” Becerra said.
By the numbers
ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn said women’s health is also a top priority. The agency recently announced a $100 million investment in women's health research.
“We are looking at women's health at home. We listen to communities and heard, ‘I'm taking care of my kids, I'm taking care of my parents. I have to work. I don't have time to go to the doctor,’” Wegrzyn said. “So we want to innovate and think about what type of health care can we bring to the home.”
ARPA-H has so far given more than $10 million to projects in San Diego County, Wegrzyn said.
