26 Jul White Paper: Improving Health Outcomes Through Social Determinants of Health Initiatives
Washington DC, (July 26, 2022) – Today, the Health Equity Collaborative released a new white paper titled “Improving Health Outcomes Through Social Determinants of Health Initiatives”
When looking at improving the health of vulnerable populations, including communities of color and women in particular, and ways to reduce longstanding disparities, it is useful to use the lens of SDOH. Communities of color in particular are negatively impacted by these factors.
To that end, there has been an increased focus on initiatives that address various SDOH, including inequities in food and nutrition; lack of affordable, quality housing; and climate change. These issues often compound and feed into one another. High rent can cause people to cut back on healthy foods and medications. Decades of discriminatory housing policies pushed people of color into areas with limited access to affordable grocery stores, limited recreation options, and close to pollution-emitting factories.
Vulnerable populations already face a host of health disparities, from worse outcomes due to discrimination in the health care system to higher rates of chronic illness. Racial and ethnic minorities are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to have a major chronic illness such as asthma, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and other illnesses. This paper aims to examine the effects of SDOH on minority populations.
HEC-SDOH-White-PaperAbout the Health Equity Collaborative:
The Health Equity Collaborative (HEC) is an advocacy initiative comprised of civil rights organizations, public health non-profits, and diverse patient groups centered around supporting equity and combatting disparities experienced by marginalized communities. HEC is officially a project of MANA Action, a 501c4 not-for-profit organization allied with MANA National, a National Latina Organization that advocates for equality and empowers Latinas through leadership development.