Celebrating Black History Month. Equity and disparities.

​The Importance of Health Equity

Ever wonder how some of the most remarkable people find their purpose? At the Heart of It with CEO Nancy Brown gives you a look into their thought process and practices on how they manage their own well-being along the way. Dr. Regina Benjamin, the 18th Surgeon General of the United States and a public health expert, talks about the importance of quality healthcare for all and offers her advice and wisdom to help everyone live longer, healthier, happier lives. 
At The Heart of It: The Importance of Health Equity 

​The Urgent Need for Health Equity

For years we’ve been striving to ensure everyone has an optimal, just opportunity to be healthy. But this is not the reality for many people of color and others whose health suffers because of social factors beyond their control. In fact, people in some under-resourced ZIP codes have shorter life expectancies than their neighbors just a few miles away. And people in often-remote rural areas face significantly higher death rates from heart disease and stroke.
COVID-19 has illuminated these unacceptable health disparities and worsened the problems. The pandemic and economic hardships have disproportionately harmed the health of Black, Latino and Native American people. That’s why our 2024 Impact Goal affirms our focus on identifying and removing barriers to health equity.
Read more about our work related to COVID-19 and health equity.

Structural racism is a driver of health disparities, report declares. 

The nation's history of structural racism must be acknowledged as a driver of health problems and shortened lives for Black people and other racial and ethnic groups, says an American Heart Association report that seeks to spark action to fix the problem.   "Structural racism has been and remains a fundamental cause of persistent health disparities in the United States," declares the presidential advisory published Tuesday in the AHA's journal Circulation. It offers a summary of the historical context of structural discrimination, connects it to current health disparities and looks for ways to dismantle or mitigate its continuing effects.  Read more about the presidential advisory.








Reference:

https://www.heart.org/en/about-us/office-of-health-equity/black-history-month-2022