3 MMA Members Named to State’s Equitable Health Care Task Force

December 21, 2023

Three MMA members were appointed to the state’s new Equitable Health Care Task Force on December 19.  

Members Mumtaz (Taj) Mustapha, MD, Cybill Oragwu, MD (MMA-endorsed) and Erin Westfall, DO are joined by three other physicians and 14 other members on the task force that will examine inequities in how Minnesotans experience healthcare based on race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, age and disability. The task force will identify strategies for ensuring that all Minnesotans can receive care and coverage that is respectful and ensures optimal health outcomes. 

“Year after year, the data show Minnesota is one of the healthiest states with some of the worst health disparities,” Health Commissioner Brooke Cunningham, MD, said. “One of my primary goals as commissioner is to make sure all Minnesotans have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.” 

The task force was established by the Minnesota Legislature during the 2023 session. To accomplish its goals, the task force will conduct community engagement across multiple systems, sectors and communities to identify barriers for these population groups that result in diminished standards of care and foregone care. The task force is also charged with identifying promising practices to improve the experience of care and health outcomes for people in these population groups.  

The task force’s work will conclude with recommendations for changes in healthcare system practices or health insurance regulations to address identified issues. Those recommendations will be included in reports submitted for legislative consideration and posted online. 

Task force members include: 

Sara Bolnick, director of communications and partnerships, Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers - Member representing advocacy organizations   

Elizete Diaz, senior social worker, Hennepin County: Long term services and supports - Member representing Latina/o/x communities   

Elijahjuan (Eli) Dotts, health equity manager, Prime West Health - General member  

Mary Engels, senior director of organizational learning and development, Essentia Health - General member  

Marc Gorelick, MD, president and chief executive officer, Children's Minnesota - General member   

Bukata Hayes, vice president, racial and health equity and chief equity officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota - General member   

Joy Marsh, vice president, equity and inclusion, UCare - Member representing African American communities   

Maria Medina, system director of equity initiatives, Fairview Health Services - General member 

Vayong Moua, racial and health equity advocacy director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota - Member representing health coverage organizations   

Mumtaz (Taj) Mustapha, MD, chief of equity strategy, M Health Fairview - General member 

Laurelle Myhra, director, Mino Bimaadiziwin Wellness Clinic - Member representing American Indian communities 

Cybill Oragwu, MD, attending physician, CentraCare Health - Member representing healthcare providers  

Miamon Queeglay, assistant director of outreach and engagement, University of Minnesota, School of Dentistry - Member representing African heritage communities  

Nneka Sederstrom, chief health equity officer, Hennepin Healthcare - General member  

Megan Chao Smith, RN, mental health acute partial hospitalization, Abbott Northwestern Hospital - Member representing LGBTQIA+ communities  

Patrick Simon S. Soria, DNP, MAN, MHA(c), RN, president-elect, Philippine Nurses Association of Central Minnesota - Member representing Asian American and Pacific Islander communities 

Sonny Wasilowski - Member representing disability communities   

Erin Westfall, DO, program director and director of osteopathic education, Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency (Mankato) - General member  

Tyler Winkelman, MD, co-director health, homelessness, and criminal justice lab, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute; past-president, Minnesota EHR Consortium - General member  

Yeng M. Yang, MD, regional medical director of primary care, HealthPartners - General member 

MDH will convene the first meeting of the task force on January 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. All meetings of the task force will be open to the public. Information about this upcoming meeting will be available soon on the Equitable Health Care Task Force webpage.