February is Black History Month. The recent passing of Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks give us an opportunity to reflect upon lives well-lived. They were pioneers of the civil rights movement who stood as two of the most persuasive voices in America heralding equality for all. Mrs. King and Mrs. Parks have rightfully earned their places in history as great American heroes.

This month is also a good time to reassess our state’s progress and recommit to closing the gap on inequities that continue to this day. Inequality takes on many forms. In South Carolina and nationally, one of the most alarming inequalities is the health and health care disparities that affect our nation’s minorities and, in particular, African-Americans.

The overall health status of our state is poor. But most unsettling are the countless studies that establish that within our state, African-Americans live sicker and die younger than other populations.

Blacks are more likely to have a stroke or die from a stroke than whites. Some reports place the prevalence of diabetes among blacks to be about 70 percent higher than among whites. In South Carolina, blacks are more than twice as likely as their white counterparts to die because of diabetes. Also, blacks are more likely to die because of heart disease and cancer.

Why do these disparities exist? The rural nature of our state makes it tough for some who may have limited access to transportation. Other factors are related to diet, cultural differences, education, heredity and income levels. And in some cases, it’s a problem of having adequate access to health care. These are just a few of the many reasons that make this such a difficult issue to solve.

In this age of medical and technological advances, such gaps in health should not exist. Gov. Mark Sanford has also repeatedly argued that health care disparities affecting our minority populations, particularly in rural and underserved areas of the state, can no longer be treated with a one-size-fits-all solution.

Action is required to improve three important areas that contribute to widening disparities among minority groups. The rural nature of South Carolina’s population is an impediment to outreach programs that we must also overcome:

• Health education — communicating health-related information across geographic, income, racial and ethnic divides.

• Access to and availability of health care facilities and resources.

• Continued community-based participatory research.

The governor and Mrs. Sanford’s initiative, Healthy South Carolina Challenge, is providing motivation and guidance to help community outreach groups and rural health centers aggressively pursue solutions. Healthy South Carolina has partnered with the AME church’s Health-E-AME program to educate and promote healthy lifestyle changes among minority populations. It is imperative that we spend dollars wisely to increase awareness of health care disparities among not only the public, but also health care providers, insurance companies and policy makers.

Faith-based health centers are leading the way in bringing health care resources to the people. These programs provide information regarding blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, diabetes tests and health and nutrition seminars.

Community health centers throughout our state provide medical homes to help identify, monitor and control chronic, often life-threatening conditions. Additionally, programs are under way to recruit individuals from economically and geographically disadvantaged areas into medical fields. Many will return to serve their respective home areas. Providing people with continuity of medical supervision and preventative care will help drive medical costs down.

South Carolina is fortunate to have research universities and colleges dedicated to eradicating disease and eliminating disparities among all populations. They each bring a unique perspective to outcome-based research. Concentrations range from eliminating health disparities to eradicating diseases. Our community health centers also provide a valuable network of hands-on medical personnel to feed back to our universities and colleges conducting research to ensure that data is current and goals are on target.

Providing our citizens with quality health care and eliminating disparities among minorities is one of the biggest challenges facing our state and nation, but I truly believe that with all of us working together we can have a positive impact on the negative numbers that have ranked our state one of the “unhealthiest states.” A great start this month is the First Annual Community Health Awareness Day set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia. There will be free screenings for a variety of health issues and activities for kids.

I support the governor’s Healthy South Carolina Challenge and urge to you visit its Web site, http://www.healthysc.gov/, for information about events in your area and tips to help you daily in your quest for healthy living.

Mr. Graham is South Carolina’s senior senator.