"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
What is Health Equity?
Health equity exists when all individuals and populations have equal opportunities for good health.1 There are many social determinants of health equity, including income and education, access to healthy foods, and neighborhood safety.2,3 Factors related to the health care system, and the manner in which care is delivered, also play an important role in health equity.4 This website focuses specifically on improving the capacity of health care systems to provide equitable care.
Health Systems' Role in Advancing Health Equity
Health systems can advance health equity by tailoring care to meet individuals' needs and ensuring that care does not vary in quality based on personal characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, language barriers, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. Equity is a familiar notion to those engaged in quality improvement as it is one of the six aims for improving health care (the others being safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, and efficient.)5 Unfortunately, inequities in health care exist for many populations and a wide range of conditions. As our nation continues to become more diverse, it is vital that we eliminate potentially avoidable and systematic differences in the quality of health care.
How Do We Get There?
Achieving equitable care requires social, public health and health systems interventions. Advancing Health Equity focuses on helping you improve health systems by 1) providing information and tools to deliver culturally appropriate and patient-centered care, 2) ensuring equitable access, 3) eliminating linguistic and cultural barriers to communication, and 4) developing infrastructure, incentives, and policies to support these efforts.
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