Health Equity News

Technology was the topic for the May 17 plenary session discussion between Ivor Horn, M.D., director of health equity and social determinants of health at Google, and Joy A. Lewis, AHA senior vice president for health equity strategies and executive director of IFDHE.

Two experts from Seattle’s Swedish Hospital explain the role that doulas serve in prenatal and postpartum care, and how physicians and doulas can work together to reduce maternal and infant health disparities

As the COVID-19 public health emergency’s continuous coverage requirement ends and states redetermine eligibility for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights yesterday reminded state health officials of their obligations under federal civil right laws to provide meaningful language access for individuals with limited English proficiency and ensure effective communication with individuals with disabilities. 

Nonprofit hospitals and health systems and other eligible entities can apply until April 14 for up to $2.5 million from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to support evidence-based interventions to prevent, diagnose and treat substance use disorders in primary care; and until April 21 for up to $2.5 million to support evidence-based interventions to accelerate health equity in health care delivery systems, among other funding opportunities

Adults receiving dialysis treatment for end-stage kidney disease were 100 times more likely to have a Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection than adults not on dialysis during 2017-2020, with the risk 40% higher for Hispanic patients than white patients, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is working with NORC at the University of Chicago, AHA and others to identify and evaluate health systems implementing anti-racism practices with the potential to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released guidance to clarify how states can use an existing Medicaid managed care option to reduce health disparities and address unmet health-related social needs

The latest AHA podcast on leading initiatives to transform care and advance equity looks at Jefferson Health’s success in expanding diversity at the supervisory level, an initiative recognized by AHA’s 2022 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award.

Learn how New York’s Mount Sinai Health System took on the task of addressing its community’s health inequities while managing the myriad challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, an effort that captured AHA's 2022 Equity of Care Award.

The Institute for Diversity and Health Equity reminds AHA members to apply by Dec. 1 for the 2023 Equity of Care Awards.

The AHA and its Institute for Diversity and Health Equity have revised the criteria for the Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, for which applications are now being accepted. The award is given annually in recognition of outstanding efforts among hospitals and health care systems to advance equity of care to all patients and to share lessons and progress made toward diversity, inclusion and health equity.

Tune into this Sept 8 educational webinar at 1 p.m. ET for an overview of the Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, the application process and best practices hospitals should follow to achieve health equity.

The AHA Sunday presented the 2022 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award to Mount Sinai Health System, in New York City, for displaying leadership through its health equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. Novant Health, in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Thomas Jefferson University/Jefferson Health, in Philadelphia, were recognized as honorees. LEARN MORE

Mount Sinai Health System in New York is the 2022 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award winner.

A new special issue of Health Services Research focuses on how health care organizations can use implementation science and community-engaged research methods to improve population health and reduce care disparities.

Three eligible institutions can be awarded up to $333,000 each to support research investigating or addressing health care disparities affecting populations including racial and ethnic minority groups, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities and others.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a notice of funding opportunities for collaborations between multisectoral partners to develop implementation-ready social determinants of health accelerator plans.

Hospital and health system leaders focused on health equity and/or diversity and inclusion initiatives in their organizations are encouraged to complete the survey.

Leon Caldwell, AHA’s senior director for health equity strategies and innovation, writes about the current landscape of equity in the field and how the AHA’s Health Equity Roadmap can help.

AHA and its Institute for Diversity and Health Equity are providing members until March 15 to complete the biennial diversity and health equity benchmark survey, a critical tool for evaluating the state of the field’s efforts to ensure more inclusive and equitable access to quality health care.