Helping kids and families find the best path to good and fair healthcare outcomes

Adobe Stock Photo Achieving health equity means making sure everyone gets the resources and care they need to reach their best physical and mental health. Striving to connect people with these resources and care is important. This is especially true in communities where under-investment in things like schools, parks, public transportation, and internet access can create barriers and limit access to care. Because these barriers are experienced unequally, the people who need care the most have the hardest time getting it. Ideally, health equity begins with every child receiving the resources and care they need from the moment they’re born. But in underserved communities, children, too, encounter complicated obstacles. DR. KRISTIN RAY In our region, pediatric researchers are studying healthcare systems and the families that use them. That includes identifying, understanding, and removing intentional and unintentional barriers. The goal is to create healthcare systems that offer more options, more flexibility, and greater equity. One of those researchers is University of Pittsburgh’s Dr. Kristin Ray, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Health Systems Improvement at UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics. Dr. Ray and her team are working to address social determinants of health (SDoH) by changing and improving how healthcare is...