By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    physical health
    5 Ways Playing Games Can Improve Neural and Physical Health
    September 9, 2022
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    February 16, 2022
    healthcare organization
    5 Actionable Strategies For Healthcare Organizations
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
    September 10, 2025
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    5 Basic Types Of Eye Tests That Are Part Of An Eye Exam
    September 24, 2018
    Knowledge About Malpractice Lawsuits Can Give You Some Peace | Healthcare Career Resources
    Knowledge About Malpractice Lawsuits Can Give You Some Peace
    September 18, 2020
    How Your Job Can Impact Your Health
    December 11, 2018
    Latest News
    Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
    September 9, 2025
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Achieving Health Equity in the Community, as well as, the Healthcare System
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > Achieving Health Equity in the Community, as well as, the Healthcare System
Public Health

Achieving Health Equity in the Community, as well as, the Healthcare System

Principle Healthcare
Principle Healthcare
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

 

As we reach the final days of National Minority Health Month, one Healthcare Executive article recently caught my eye.&nbs

Contents
  •  
  •  

 

As we reach the final days of National Minority Health Month, one Healthcare Executive article recently caught my eye.  In John Buell’s, “Equity of Care”, the author stipulates that healthcare systems must focus on six key elements in order to truly achieve quality care. In absence of efficiency, effectiveness, safety, timeliness, patient-centeredness or equity, Buell contends that institutions are not meeting the mark.  While progress is being made on the first five ingredients, equity is described as, “the last fundamental piece that many hospitals have struggled to achieve but one with which some clear progress is being made.”

According to the author, “equity is achieved by providing care that does not vary in quality on the basis of patients’ personal characteristics such as ethnicity, gender, geographic location and socioeconomic status.”  With the diabetes-related death rate of blacks in the U.S. almost twice that of whites, Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard and Director, the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, asserts that social determinants and access to care are the leading contributors to racial and ethnic disparities.  Dr. Betancourt also points out that, “hospitals are not purposefully treating patients differently, but it may mean that hospitals are not doing the extra things to meet the needs of the diverse populations.”

So, what can be done to reverse this trend?  The Disparities Solutions Center provides the following recommendations:

More Read

New Report from Alzheimer’s Association Offers “Sobering Statistics” on Disease
Maintaining Wellness After a Rear-End Collision: A Guide for Seniors
Good Riddance to Routine Pelvic Examinations
Proposed Medicare for All Bill Could Change Healthcare Billing Logistics
What Is the Best Role For Government in Health Care?
  • Create a disparities committee or task force – multidisciplinary team charged with what is being done to identify and address disparities, including whether or not patients’ race and ethnicity are being collected.
  • Build a foundation to address disparities, including data collection and stratification of quality measures
    • Develop medical policies
    • Finalize a strategic plan with one, three and five year goals
    • Assign leadership and raise awareness with internal and external constituencies
    • Create a dashboard for monitoring assigned measures and standardize processes
    • Develop pilots to address disparities
    • Evaluate, share and re-engineer

While not explicitly addressed at this level, it also remains critical to note that a multicultural workforce provides a sense of community for prospective patients and resource for creative recommendations to better serve their brethren.  Engaging patients beyond the hospital walls to educate and empower them for better health also holds great promise.  With 45% of the fastest growing segment of the population owning smartphones, are we harnessing this engine to effectively reach Hispanics regarding their significant predisposition to diabetes…and the means to avoid it?  For that matter, is the U.S. taking serious note of the innovative preventive and service delivery measures that less developed countries are employing?  Last but not least, technology is merely an enabler and achieving true equity demands fundamental reassessment of ‘health’ in the community, as well as, the healthcare system.

Principle Healthcare Associates is an expert resource and dedicated advocate for Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Physician and Healthcare Executive job seekers. With many years of recruiting experience, we deliver strategies to help clients identify diamonds in the rough and candidates that stand head and shoulders above the competition.

 

TAGGED:community benefitdoctorhealthhealthIThospitalmHealthPhysicianracial disparitiessocial responsibilitytechnologytelemedicinewellness
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Image
Public Health

Boomer Voice

June 12, 2013

Newlyweds Show Us How to Face Cancer Together

September 16, 2014
Image
NewsWellness

Person-Centered HealthCare: Living Well

July 5, 2013
healthcare influencers
Public Health

The Impact of Health Influencers on Public Health

July 18, 2023
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?