Diversity and Health Disparities Update

We would like to share with you recent resources, interesting programs and upcoming events on the topics of health care diversity and health disparities.

EVENTS

April is National Minority Health Month
Since 2002, April has been observed as National Minority Health Month, a time to focus on reducing health disparities and improving the health status of minority populations. CHA is pleased to offer a 2018 Minority Health Month Prayer.

CHA is looking to learn about and share information about initiatives your organization is undertaking that address disparities in care and/or provide education and awareness about unconscious bias and cultural competence. So that we can continue to tell the full story of the ministry's work in this area and share successful practices, please send a brief description, and include contact information, to Kathy Curran at [email protected].

Additional information and resources, including tools from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, can be found on CHA's website at www.chausa.org/minorityhealthmonth.

CHA Webinar: "Good Intentions, Bad Results: Mitigating the Unintended Effects of Unconscious Bias," on Monday, March 26, featured Bon Secours Health System executives who shared actual strategies underway at Bon Secours Health System to address the effects of unconscious bias. Webinar participants also heard about practical actions that can be taken to reduce the effects of unconscious bias in talent practices and in overall operations.
» Watch the archived presentation

April Diversity Dialogue: Language Data Collection: The Key to Quality and Safety for LEP Populations,Tuesday, April 24, 2018, 12 – 1 p.m. ET
It's time for the April installment of the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity's Diversity Dialogue Webinars. This month's webinar, "Language Data Collection: The Key to Quality and Safety for LEP Populations," will be presented by the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) face language barriers that can have adverse effects on safety and quality of care. Language data collection is necessary to identify language needs, provide a professional medical interpreter and analyze health equity. Currently, hospitals collect information on patient preferred spoken and written language. However, health care organizations will need to demonstrate how a patient's language needs are met. This webinar will discuss the development and implementation of a Language Services Documentation Tool at Cambridge Health Alliance. Visit the IFD's Diversity Dialogue Webinars page to register.

OMH Webinar Series for National Minority Health Month
April 5, 10, 26 and 30 (Recordings available) The HHS Office on Minority Health (OMH) is sponsoring a webinar series to mark National Minority Health Month, on the following topics:

• April 5: Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) in Indian Country focuses on research strategies to address health disparities among American Indian and Alaska Native communities. A brief overview of CBPR for health promising practices will be provided, as will definitions and specific examples of practices associated with outcomes for improving health equity.
• April 10: State Legislative Approaches to Reducing Behavioral Health Disparities explores state legislative approaches to addressing behavioral health disparities affecting populations such as racial and ethnic minorities who may face greater challenges in accessing care and receiving services that are culturally appropriate. Such disparities in behavioral health care can lead to significant human and financial costs. Results of a National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) analysis of 2017 legislation will be presented.
• April 26: Strategies for Building and Strengthening the Community Health Worker (CHW) Effort in Your Area: A Case Study from Utah provides an in-depth look at effective use of CHWs. The Mountain States Regional Health Equity Council Community Health Worker (CHW) Subcommittee will share strategies and pathways for building and strengthening CHW efforts in the community. The webinar will focus on the history, infrastructure, strategies, goals, and progress of the Utah Broad-Based CHW Coalition.
• April 30: Making the Invisible, Visible: Lessons Learned from a Hispanic/Latino Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers Audience Needs Assessment will present findings from the latest diabetes needs assessment for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFWs). l highlighting educational needs for diabetes and prediabetes and exploring culturally and/or linguistically tailored materials for the MSFWs.

To watch recordings of past webinars and register for upcoming ones, visit the OMH National Minority Health month webpage.

Webinar: 5ByAge5: Preparing  Children for Success
April 24, 2018, 3 p.m. ET
Research shows that children who enter kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to experience greater academic success and that adults with more education typically live longer and healthier lives. 5byAge5, an initiative in the Normandy Schools Collaborative footprint of North St. Louis County, set a goal to ensure all children from ages zero to five have the supports they need to be ready for kindergarten. They have brought together 30 service providers to collectively prioritize five key factors that contribute to school readiness. Join us to learn how they leveraged their shared impact to support the youngest members of their community — and became part of the 24 contiguous municipalities outside of St. Louis that won the 2016 RWJF Culture of Health Prize. Representatives from 5byAge5 will share strategies that you might employ in your own communities.
» Learn more and register

Institute for Diversity and Health Equity National Leadership and Education Conference
The Institute's National Leadership and Education Conference on advancing health equity and managing diversity and inclusion will be June 28-29, 2018, at the Swissôtel, Chicago. Senior health care executives, human resource directors, diversity specialists, consultants, trustees and others examine best practices in the areas of health equity, diverse leadership opportunities in health management and explore recruitment and retention strategies. The institute's conference provides leadership development in diversity management, insight on designing and effectively managing health equity and diversity programs, valuable resources and tools for health care organizations, succession planning and more.
» Visit the IFD website to learn more about it and register!

REPORTS AND RESOURCES

The 2018 County Health Rankings State Reports
This year's County Health Rankings release includes enhanced state reports that focus on persistent gaps in opportunity that contribute to poor health outcomes. Building on a strong foundation of calling attention to the many factors that influence health, these reports highlight data on social and economic disparities based on place and on race and ethnicity, in addition to providing evidence-informed strategies and examples of communities taking action to address equity. They illustrate: What health equity is and why it matters, differences in health outcomes within states by place and racial/ethnic groups, differences in health factors within states by place and racial/ethnic groups, and what communities can do to create opportunity and health for all.
» Access the state health reports

Population Health/Health Equity Survey Due May 4
The Institute for Diversity and Health Equity and the Health Research & Educational Trust have launched the 2018 Population Health, Equity and Diversity Survey. This is a refreshed version of the Diversity and Disparities Survey: A Benchmarking Study on U.S. Hospitals first begun in 2009. The surveys were sent to hospital CEOs with a deadline of May 4. Please be sure your hospital completes and submits the survey. This process will provide important and useful information on the progress of the hospital community in achieving health equity. For more information, contact AHA survey support at [email protected] or (800) 530-9092.

Stress and Health Disparities — Contexts, Mechanisms, and Interventions Among Racial/Ethnic Minority and Low Socioeconomic Status Populations
In 2011, the American Psychological Association (APA) approved the support of a health disparities initiative as an activity of its recently adopted strategic plan. The purpose of the initiative was to increase support for research, training, public education and interventions that reduce health disparities and promote health equity among underserved and marginalized populations. Released in January 2018, the report, based on a survey conducted online by The Harris Poll, takes a deeper look at how health and health care is affecting the stress levels of Americans. When it comes to stress regarding specific race and ethnicity groups, stress was found to play a role in concerns about health care. Nearly two-thirds of Hispanic adults (64 percent) say they experience stress when thinking about themselves, their loved ones or people in general losing access to health care services. In comparison, this was less likely to be a concern to members of other racial and ethnic groups, though still reported by about half of respondents (i.e., 56 percent of Asian-Americans, 51 percent of black Americans, 50 percent of Native Americans and 49 percent of white Americans). To read the full Stress in America report or to download graphics, visit Stress in America.

Health Coverage by Race and Ethnicity: Changes Under the ACA
People of color historically have been more likely to be uninsured and to face more barriers accessing care than Whites. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) health coverage expansions provided an opportunity to help reduce these disparities. This brief examines changes in health coverage under the ACA by race and ethnicity and discusses the implications for health coverage disparities. Based on Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of Current Population Survey data for the nonelderly population, the brief is available online.

Massachusetts General Hospital Annual Report on Equity in Health Care Quality (AREHCQ) 2016–2017
The MGH Annual Report on Equity in Healthcare Quality (formerly known as the Disparities Dashboard) monitors several key components of quality by race, ethnicity, and language. It was developed in response to the IOM Report Crossing the Quality Chasm, which identifies equity – the principle that quality of care should not vary by race, ethnicity, or gender, among other characteristics – as one of six pillars of quality. Although race and ethnicity data have been collected routinely at the MGH for several years, this data was not routinely analyzed or reported prior to developing this report in 2005. The AREHQ was one of the first of its kind in the nation and is now produced annually.
» Download a copy of the 2016-2017 Equity Report

Communities Driving Health Equity — A Spotlight Video Series
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) is proud to present a documentary video series that spotlights local organizations across the U.S. advancing health equity for their communities by addressing the environmental, social, economic and structural challenges that may impact residents' health. The videos show that, while challenges are numerous, progress is possible when community members, organizations, funders and policy makers work together to drive local-level solutions that improve health equity and well-being for all.
» Access the series

Racial Healing and Achieving Health Equity in the United States – Deaths from Alcohol, Drugs and Suicide for People of Color Rise Dramatically, Although Still Below the Rates of White Americans
A new report, Pain in the Nation: The Drug, Alcohol and Suicide Epidemics and the Need for a National Resilience Strategy, released by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and Well Being Trust (WBT), notes disproportionately large increases in drug deaths among racial/ethnic minority groups, particularly among Black Americans, who experienced an increase of 39 percent in drug deaths between 2015 and 2016. And, Latinos saw drug death rates increase 24 percent, while the rate for Whites increased 19 percent from 2015-2016.
» Review the full report

Pursuing Health Equity: Health Affairs
The March 2018 issue of Health Affairs took as its theme Pursuing Health Equity. Articles explored topics such as the effectiveness of health-in-all-policies; medical-legal partnerships; the interaction between quality performance measurement and health equity; and how state Medicaid policies can reduce health disparities. Online article access may require subscription.

Race, Racism and Health Website
The Robert Woods Johnson Foundation has a "RWJF Collection" website examining the connections between "Race, Racism and Health" in the United States. Research has shown that the impact of race on health stems largely from differences in access to resources and opportunities that can hurt or enhance health. Additionally, researchers have found that racial and ethnic discrimination can negatively affect health across lifetimes and generations. And findings from studies in the U.S. and other countries have found that perceived racial/ethnic bias — and the resulting toxic stress — makes an additional contribution to racial or ethnic disparities in health. This collection includes research findings and perspectives on the connections between race, racism and health. An April 3, 2018 blogpost highlighted on the site explores the connection between residential segregation and health.

Achieving Rural Health Equity and Well-Being — Workshop Proceedings:
Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Rural areas have histories, economies and cultures that differ from those of cities and from one rural area to another. Understanding these differences is critical to taking steps to improve health and well-being in rural areas and to reduce health disparities among rural populations. To explore the impacts of economic, demographic and social issues in rural communities and to learn about asset-based approaches to addressing the associated challenges, the Roundtable on Population Health Improvement and the Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine held a workshop in June, 2017. This Proceedings of a Workshop synthesizes the discussions held at the workshop, highlights the speakers' perspectives on rural health equity and well-being and provides an overview of showcased initiatives and approaches to meeting the particular challenges and opportunities in improving health in rural communities.

RECENT NEWS ARTICLES
For recent news articles please visit our website at www.chausa.org/disparities/overview