Medical Minute with Dr. Rob Gillio
National Minority Health Month

Hey, it’s April 2nd. Yesterday was officially April Fool’s Day. A Day for Fools and Pranks. But let’s get real for a minute. 

You know, it is not a joke. The fact that health disparities still persist in 2025, that sickle cell disease remains underfunded, misunderstood, and has a stigma that too many people don’t know their power when it comes to changing the health of their families and communities. April is also National Minority Health Month, and while others are busy pulling pranks, running around, worried, uh, thinking the sky is falling, we’re doing something very bold, very real. We’re teaming up and we have created the Advance the Dream Program to help empower underserved communities through health, education, finance, and civil engagement. We’re putting the pride back into, um, being a minority or being who you are. 

We are all minorities depending on where we are. So let’s be proud of our heritage.
Let’s learn our past so we can help better guide our future. We’re also very proud at the Force for Health to have partnered with the Sickle Cell Foundation of Arizona and launching www. 360SCDHub.org, the 360 Sickle Cell Disease or SCD Hub. It’s a new app and a website that’s pulling lifesaving knowledge and community concerns right into the palm of your hand, whether you’re a patient, a parent, a caregiver, or even a policymaker. You know, we don’t play around with fantasy or gimmicks.

 It’s not a prank. These are real health issues that we’re working on with in during Minority Health Month and also other times. So this is about every individual, from patients to parents, to policymakers. Learn it, live it, and share it so we can close the gaps and build a healthier future. Don’t be fooled into thinking your voice doesn’t matter. It does. Don’t be tricked into thinking health equity is someone else’s job. It is ours. Don’t think someone’s gonna take care of you. Take responsibility for your own actions. Vote, save money. Invest in the future. Invest in yourself with your academics and know how to be a force for health for yourself. 

Join us. We’re trying to make it fun to do all these things. Play the reality Health Games, become a health ambassador. Help advance the dream and help protect the gift, the gift of our health. Starting with your own, please, in 
this Minority Health Month.

Celebrate it. Learn the history. Embrace the cultural diversity. Be a force for health, and let’s have a great month. Let’s go.