Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, is hosting a special live-streamed virtual roundtable discussion to acknowledge Black History Month. She is the first Black woman to serve as Administrator of CMS and has made health equity a top priority of the agency which provides health coverage to 150 million people nationwide through Medicare, Medicaid & CHIP and the Marketplaces.

This roundtable will explore themes of the work CMS can do to further address racial disparities and advance health equity. It will also discuss how Black leaders are making history in the health care system and the unique role HBCUs play in rebuilding the healthcare system, particularly in a post-COVID world. Finally, it wants to elevate discussion about how CMS can encourage more providers to enter the medical field and in particular to practice in underserved communities.

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s activities to celebrate Black History Month, CMS will celebrate advances to improve the health of Black people across the United States, to help amplify where changes still need to be made in health care and highlight the commitment CMS is making to address systemic racism and move the needle.

A link of the livestream and a final list of the panelist will be provided next week.