Reducing Disparities in Health Outcomes News

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by Aisha Syeda, MPH
According to the CDC, 80% of pregnancy-related deaths can be prevented; that’s a 20% increase from previous years. Know why? That’s the theme for today’s Maternal Health Awareness Day – Know Why. Maternal Health Awareness Day, Jan. 23, shines a light on the many complex factors contributing to maternal health deaths and amplifies promising initiatives to combat the rising rates of maternal morbidity and mortality.
In a guest blog for the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, Lisa Mallory, CEO of the National Association of Health Services Executives, reflects on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the shared task to seek and implement solutions to what Dr. King called “the most shocking and inhumane” injustice: inequality in health care.
by Rick Pollack, President and CEO, AHA
Hospitals and health systems have a special role to play in helping to realize Dr. King’s dream of a truly just society.
States that expanded Medicaid coverage to low-income adults in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act reduced postpartum hospitalizations for low-income people, according to a study reported yesterday in Health Affairs, which compared 2010-2017 data from four states that expanded Medicaid and four that did not. 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is working with NORC at the University of Chicago, AHA and others to identify and evaluate health systems implementing anti-racism practices with the potential to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released guidance to clarify how states can use an existing Medicaid managed care option to reduce health disparities and address unmet health-related social needs
In the latest blog post from AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, Joy Lewis, AHA’s senior vice president for health equity strategies, reflects on IFDHE’s bold initiatives this year and previews 2023’s forthcoming projects.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement today launched Rise to Health: A National Coalition for Equity in Health Care, whose founding collaborators include the AHA.
The latest AHA podcast on leading initiatives to transform care and advance equity looks at Jefferson Health’s success in expanding diversity at the supervisory level, an initiative recognized by AHA’s 2022 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award.
Learn how New York’s Mount Sinai Health System took on the task of addressing its community’s health inequities while managing the myriad challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, an effort that captured AHA's 2022 Equity of Care Award.
Hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations can sign up to host one or more interns for the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity’s 2023 Summer Enrichment Program, which begins the first week of June and runs through mid-August.
The Institute for Diversity and Health Equity reminds AHA members to apply by Dec. 1 for the 2023 Equity of Care Awards.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health today released a report on progress and future actions to improve data collection across CMS programs to advance health equity.
Isabel Wilkerson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, best-selling author and National Humanities Medal recipient, will give the opening keynote address at AHA’s 2023 Accelerating Health Equity Conference, which will be held May 16-18 in Minneapolis.
AHA is making several recommendations in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ “Make Your Voice Heard” request for information on promoting equity and efficiency within the agency’s programs. The comments, submitted to CMS today, focus on access to health care coverage; sustaining the health care workforce; advancing health equity; and the potential continuation regulatory flexibilities borne out of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
by Wright L. Lassiter III, Chair, American Hospital Association
Hospital and health system teams today not only are caring for one patient at a time but also improving the health of their communities.
by Ashley Thompson, AHA Senior Vice President, Public Policy Analysis and Development
Hospitals serving marginalized urban communities need additional federal support so they can meet their mission of advancing health for the patients and communities they serve.
Black, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native adults have higher flu hospitalization rates and lower flu vaccination rates than white adults, according to a report released by the CDC.
The Biden Administration released a strategy to better prepare and protect the nation from future pandemics and biological threats, and called for Congress to provide $88 billion over five years to help implement the plan. 
by Wright L. Lassiter III, Chair, American Hospital Association
Who remembers paper road maps? Before GPS navigation systems and navigation apps on mobile phones, people would unfold an unwieldy paper map and use it to plan and track progress on their journey.