Reducing Disparities in Health Outcomes News

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The Black Coalition Against COVID-19 Feb. 18 from 12-2:30 p.m. ET will host a virtual workshop for participants to share, learn and collaborate on best practices for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines in Black communities.
by Rod Hochman, M.D.
As we forge ahead in 2021 facing a lot of uncertainty, there’s one thing we recognize: The COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting effect on the health and well-being of our nation.
Leaders from WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, N.C., share strategies to overcome behavioral health disparities and increase patients’ access to appropriate caregivers at the right time and place.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual persons in the U.S. have higher self-reported prevalence of several underlying health conditions associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes, compared to heterosexual persons, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.
With help from a health equity grant collaboration between the AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, UnityPoint launched its CenteringPregnancy Care to Mitigate Racial Disparities Program.
Biden announced an executive order directing federal agencies to review the Trump administration’s public charge rule, among other recent immigration policies.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., urged the Food and Drug Administration to review how accurately pulse oximeters monitor blood oxygen levels, citing multiple studies suggesting they provide misleading measures to patients of color.
Registration is now open for the AHA’s Accelerating Health Equity virtual conference, March 16-18.
Inspired by recent examples in sports and a Hamilton show tune, Kenneth Kaufman, managing director and chair of management consultancy KaufmanHall, challenges senior health care leaders to “make 2021 the year of true advancement in diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
by Rick Pollack, Former President and CEO, AHA
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Since it became a federal holiday in 1983, MLK Day has become widely celebrated as a day of public service for individuals, communities and organizations.
House Ways and Means Committee Democrats released a report on the intersection between health and economic wellbeing and a legislative framework for advancing health and economic equity.
The AHA announced key leadership appointments to reflect the increasing focus and importance of health equity and workforce in the association’s strategic activities.
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting some individuals and communities much more than others, population health tools are more important than ever.
by Nancy A. Myers
The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated health inequities we face as a nation. But we’re also seeing innovation in all aspects of care delivery and community collaboration and partnerships to address these challenges. We know that the homes where people live and their support networks of family and friends influence people’s ability to stay healthy or recover quickly. Access to safe, affordable and stable housing is key to good health. Strong social connections are linked to longer life and better mental health, whereas a lack of such social ties is associated with depression and increased mortality.
“Achieving health equity is a journey,” write Priya Bathija, AHA vice president of strategic initiatives, and Julia Resnick, senior program manager. To bridge the gap between commitment and action, they discuss AHA’s new resource, Societal Factors that Influence Health: A Framework for Hospitals.
by Priya Bathija, by Julia Resnick
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed spotlight on health inequities in the United States. It has illuminated that, regardless of access to health care services, social and economic circumstances make some people more likely than others to become ill or have poor health.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced the Geographic Direct Contracting Model (known as “Geo”) through which participants will take responsibility for the total cost of care for a portion of all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries in a specific region.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded about $45 million to expand the research network for its Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations program.
The National Institutes of Health will fund six research projects to examine disparities in pregnancy-related complications and deaths among disproportionately affected women, including racial and ethnic minority groups, underprivileged women and those in underserved rural settings.
Kaufman Hall recently held a virtual health care leadership conference in which Wright Lassiter III, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System, Eugene Woods, president and CEO of Atrium Health System, and Kendra Smith, managing director, Moody’s Public Finance Group, discussed the key role hospitals and health systems can play in addressing social determinants of health, improving health outcomes for communities of color and fostering conversations to help individuals better understand diverse points of view.