Health equity is the idea that everyone has equal access to the resources they need to live a healthy life. This includes race, gender, income, education, disability, geographic location, and sexual orientation.
Many people face health disparities because of their social and economic circumstances. The best way to deal with this is to remove the obstacles and improve health outcomes for all.
Understand the root causes.
Everyone deserves to live in a community with quality education, good-paying jobs, healthy food, safe housing, and high-quality healthcare. But unfortunately, not all communities have these opportunities.
While a lot can be done to help people in poor communities, the truth is that it will take time and money for them to improve their situation. Thankfully, the people in these communities have a lot of power to improve things.
Many experts agree that the most critical factor in reducing health inequities is addressing the root causes of these issues. These causes are structural inequities, including laws, policies, economic factors, and cultural norms.
Typically, these inequities are rooted in racism and discrimination. But they also occur due to other factors, such as poverty.
These social determinants of health (the next circle in the report model) affect how people live, their chance of getting sick, and their chances of dying. But these factors can be altered by public health practitioners.
The Roots of Health Equity Online Learning Collaborative is designed to provide local health departments with the tools they need to address these structural inequities. It includes an online course and a facilitator’s guide that helps local health departments engage their community allies to create discussions about these issues.
Identify the people affected.
Well, defining health equity refers to fairness and equal access to resources, services, and opportunities that allow everyone to attain their highest health potential. It is an important concept that helps individuals and organizations address health inequities.
Several factors, including social determinants of health (SDOH), shape an individual’s ability to obtain optimal health. These factors include poverty, housing conditions, transportation, education, food security, employment opportunities, community safety, and healthcare access.
Health disparities arise when these social limitations affect the quality of an individual’s life and health. They can be categorized as “socially mediated” or “systemic.”
These systemic differences can include issues rooted in racism and discrimination, such as racial disparities in access to healthcare. In addition, these systemic differences can be caused by poverty, poor living conditions, and environmental health hazards.
To prevent these health disparities, communities must work together to ensure they can access adequate healthcare and services. This includes creating partnerships between healthcare providers, public policymakers, and community-based organizations.
Some of the most impacted populations in the United States include racial and ethnic minorities, low-income individuals, women, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQ) individuals, and those with disabilities. These groups must be specifically targeted for their unique needs and assets. In addition, these groups often experience disproportionate health outcomes, as seen in HIV-related disparities between Black and White populations.
Identify the solutions
Health equity is the idea that everyone should be able to achieve their full health potential and not have their ability hampered by their social position. This is a challenging goal, as it requires changing the power structures and institutions that generate unfair inequality in our country.
To help, the CDC provides resources on how to promote health equity. Their programs focus on identifying the causes of disparities among certain groups and developing strategies to address them.
These strategies include addressing and eradicating structural racism. They also promote social determinants of health, which refer to the conditions people face that affect their health and well-being.
For example, if someone’s living situation is poor, they may need access to healthy food and other essential resources. In addition, they may not be able to take care of their medical needs.
Another example is health disparities among rural residents, who may have limited options for treatment because they live far away from treatment centers. To improve equity in these areas, healthcare providers can increase access by offering mobile clinics or other resources that allow patients to receive care on the go.
While there is a long way to go before we can achieve accurate health equity, there are many things we can do right now to move in that direction. These strategies can improve the quality of life for everyone, and they can also be a great way to save money.
Implement the solutions
Developing and implementing strategies that are rooted in the science and evidence of health equity can have a significant impact on community health. These strategies include addressing social determinants of health and improving access to health care for everyone.
The social determinants of health are broader than the medical system and include poverty, unemployment, housing conditions, education, employment, food insecurity, and other issues that shape people’s lives. They also have racial and gender bias, socioeconomic status, and culturally specific practices and policies that affect individuals and communities.
These factors can be barriers to good health, especially for the most vulnerable. To address this, health organizations and government agencies should focus on educating communities on their rights and providing opportunities to improve access to quality health services.
Additionally, they should partner with trusted messengers and community health workers/promotores de salud to share clear and accurate information tailored to a community’s language, literacy levels, and cultures. This can help people make better decisions about their health and improve their chances of success.
Ultimately, health equity can be achieved by changing the underlying social and economic circumstances influencing individuals’ health outcomes. This includes a commitment to health justice, community engagement, and the development of infrastructure that supports equity. It can also include expanding access to services, such as increasing coverage through programs like Medicaid and Medicare.
