U.S. Surgeons General Decry Disparities

We talk and talk and talk about disparities and many (I would say, all) of the Surgeon Generals of the past 20 years have made minority and ethnic disparities a priority directly or indirectly. Dr. Koop focused on smoking and the difference he made was huge. He had help before his platform took root from many public health leaders throughout the country.

As we move towards forward in transforming health care is it worthwhile for us to make health disparities (which affect us all) the leading issue in moving the needle forward? I am talking about doing this in a manner similar to how we approached the tobacco work. Here is the article. . .
Access remains key to health care, surgeons general explain in Orlando

Job-Bias Claims Soar to Record High in 2008, EEOC Says

This is a well-known fact amongst diversity and inclusion professionals. We have entered a new day, this trend will not go down. Expect at least 100,000 for 2009 if we don't keep our eye on sincere engagement of our workforce and customers.

EEOC Claims Increase
Overall employee claims with the EEOC jumped to 95,402, the most since the agency opened its doors in 1965. Retaliation claims were second in number only to those alleging race discrimination.
http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/26/24/29.php
from Workforce Management

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Racial Health Disparities: The Civil Rights Issue of Decade?

A few years ago, Congressman John Lewis said to me in an interview that "healthcare is the Civil Rights issue of the 21st century". The American Medical Student Association has for a long time been dedicated to address racial and ethnic disparities. This article coming from sessions at their annual conference is reflective of that commitment and what the Congressman declared over four years ago. . .

Racial Health Disparities Called Most Prevalent Civil Rights Issue of Decade
from Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Health Reform and the Medical Home

I wanted to share a great piece from the blog Practice Improvement: Tony Lembke's site for Improvement, Medicine, Technology, Productivity.

A medical home is a concept that is talked about a lot in the scope of strategies towards the elimination of health disparities. Continuity of care makes a difference in terms of outcomes, prevention, and disease management. Trust is there, consistent dialogue and the ability for a clinician to understand the whole person is there, adherence to treatment is more probable so disease management is more effective. A medical home makes good sense and Mr. Lembke's piece below although focused on Australia is apropos for the US just as well. Patient-centeredness to me is implicitly (at the least) about health equity.

Health Reform and the Medical Home from :PracticeImprovement

Kaiser Permanente Tops Workplace Diversity List

Under the leadership of Mr. Ron Knox, Kaiser Permanente has consistently been a leader in diversity and cultural competency. Diversity MBA Magazine has recognized them as the No. 1 best place to work for managers from all backgrounds. Congrats to Ron Knox and his team including Edgar Quiroz who heads up workforce diversity and is obviously, along with many others continuing to lengthen the track record of KP in diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency.

Diversity MBA Magazine's 50 Out Front

Electronic Medical Records and the Reinvestment Act of 2009

For a long time, health professionals have known the value of EMR towards collecting more efficient and useful patient data. The creation of health equity and elimination of health disparities requires greater access to care and a good part of access is clinicians being able to access medical records rapidly to create patient-centered treatment and preventive care plans.

This article gives a good overview for those considering EMRs aquisition as they relate to the Stimulus package approved by Congress. Group practice managers, physicians, and other organizations interested in EMR would find the article very much worthwhile.

The Stimulus Bill and Meaningful Use of Qualified EHRs / EMRs
from Software Advice.com

Study shows UCLA's diversity helps reduce racial bias

I thought this was interesting. . .I wonder if the small number of African Americans indicates that there is something unconscious in the dynamic that is not accounted for. Most bias these days is beyond conscious understanding. In fact, some argue that this has been the case for a long time especially since civil rights laws in the U.S. Tell me what you think. . .

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UCLA Diversity Reduces Racial Bias
The face of UCLA has changed dramatically since psychology and political science Professor David O. Sears started teaching at the campus in 1961.

Back then, his students were white, almost without exception. In his first decade of teaching, there were only two African American undergraduates in his classes and almost no Asians or Latinos.

His classes now look extremely different: The majority of his students are non-white. There are Asians, Latinos and African Americans, as well as other nationalities, such as Armenians.

Sears said one might expect such diversity to cause friction, but the transformation he’s seen has taken place without much hoopla. A new study he co-authored — and the subject of a book titled “The Diversity Challenge: Social Identity and Intergroup Relations on the College Campus” (Russell Sage, December 2008) — also confirms that, for the most part, members of the diverse student body are largely accepting of each other.