Advancing Equity in Healthcare Facilities and Delivery

Sponsored by Pfizer The United States spends more money than any other industrialized country in healthcare. Yet, the nation is still known to have the highest poverty rate, most significant wealth disparity, and some of the worst health outcomes among developed countries.  Despite the expansion of healthcare coverage in the last decade, one in 10 Americans still lacks health insurance, a burden that falls disproportionately on communities of color. People without health insurance are less likely to have a primary care provider and be able to afford the health care services and the medications they need. Perhaps most troubling, people who identify with racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to receive routine medical care as well as medical interventions for a broad range of conditions, even after taking a patient’s disease severity into account. Expanding access to high-quality healthcare and delivering it in a way that addresses systemic barriers to healthcare delivery is critical to making large-scale gains—having a positive impact on communities and the economy. Building on contributions of 30 health equity experts published in An Action Guide to Disrupt Inequitable Health Outcomes, here we offer distilled actions and resources for those delivering healthcare in hospitals, clinics,...