The importance of collaboration to address health inequities in underserved communities
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated health disparities in underserved communities and showed the need for an equity-focused health agenda to close significant gaps in access to healthcare. During a webinar on November 10, Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association, Kerry Hydash, president and CEO of the Family HealthCare Network, Gary Puckrein, president and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum, and Steve Rusckowski, chairman, CEO and president of Quest Diagnostics, shared insights about how innovative solutions and partnerships can help address and reduce health inequities.
1 Health is an economic issue
Health impacts more than just the length and quality of someone’s life. It also affects the length of a person’s earning years. If someone dies 25 years prematurely, that’s lost income for the surviving family. At an annual salary of $40,000 a year, that’s at least one million unearned dollars. Addressing health disparities involves not just how people deal with illness, but how they maintain a healthy lifestyle, as both have financial impacts.
2 Data can help policymakers, researchers and clinicians address specific issues
Vast amounts of data are available to identify health issues in specific communities. With data, the healthcare industry can predict how many people will have cardiovascular events at the ZIP code level, for example. Access to this type of precise information guides healthcare providers to intervene on a focused basis to address health disparities.
3 Partnerships are vital to reaching and serving communities in need
Healthcare providers can’t close the health equity gap in a vacuum. Lasting change requires building collaborative partnerships that address the many issues contributing to disproportionate health impacts afflicting underserved communities.
Through its Quest for Health Equity initiative, Quest supports 18 programs with established and emerging nongovernmental organizations to provide local services in communities to enhance access and care.
4 Addressing healthcare equity requires a larger view
Closing gaps in healthcare requires a wider social services scope to meet underserved populations where they live. That can mean offering extended service hours, transportation to and from health centers, mobile care vans to serve remote areas, health insurance enrollment counseling and assistance, affordable housing assistance, community fitness clubs, local health education, food distribution referrals, student tutoring and financial literacy programs. Data and listening sessions can inform the needs of the community and determine what resources to invest in.
5 Trust: The key to improving healthcare and innovating community programs
Data and innovation only go so far without the trust of affected communities, so gaining that trust is essential to closing health disparities. Offering population-sensitive services in local settings, like federally qualified health centers or via partnerships with local nonprofits, can help cement that trust. It’s also important to include community members when developing programs and strategies to address their healthcare. When community members recognize their needs and their voices help drive the creation of new solutions and services, they will be more likely to embrace those solutions and enhance their health.