Prior to recognizing NMHM, it is important to have an understanding of the types and severity of diseases your community is experiencing. Your local public health department is a useful resource because they access the State Health information, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the regional offices of the Office of Minority Health. The county usually collects this data and there are a number of complications associated with that. There will be new databases soon that review the same parameters through zip codes rather than counties.

There are other, equally unique ways to discover information about the health of the community. Forming an alliance with the medical officer of the local EMS system is a way of finding out about the emergency care that is occurring during specific periods of time. When searching for information in a research center, always ask for help from the epidemiologist (those who study "epidemics" and the distribution of disease, injury and death in population) who might already be collecting data on the health disparity in your community. If you live in a community with a university, you may want to contact them for assistance in collecting data. Relevant data can also be collected in the Medical Examiners’ office, hospital clinics, state Medicaid offices and schools.

Collecting data is important and it takes a long time. It is worth it in the end. It will serve to generate attention and funding, as a rule. It also serves to validate changes that will occur as a result of National Minority Health Month as evidenced in the evaluation, which will lead to increased funding. In the end, it can tell the program specialist whether his was a rational, useful approach for the targeted community. It should begin before the initiation of National Minority Health Month or it could become the outcome event for the month.