Improving the health of minority populations and achieving greater health equity
About
An historic landmark was reached last month when health leaders developed a strategic plan for bringing health equity into all aspects of public health. Health inequities exist among groups based on gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, education, income, disability, and geographic location. The strategic plan focuses on four objectives:
- Fostering societal understanding and the will to achieve health equity.
- Leveraging and engaging broad public/private partners in health equity solutions.
- Increasing and directing funding to achieve health equity.
- Strengthening organizational effectiveness to support health equity.
A crosscutting strategy will address the root causes of health inequities
Health Equity Case Studies
ASTHO has developed ten case studies that identify leading state-based strategies to address health equity and provide an in-depth examination of the data from ASTHO’s 2007 Minority Health Survey and State Snapshots. Based on interviews with various stakeholders, the case studies describe health equity strategies and programs in: Arizona, California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Virginia. Publications
With support from the HHS Office of Minority Health, ASTHO surveyed state and territorial health agencies on racial/ethnic minority health and health disparities. The results of that survey are available in the following documents.ASTHO 2008 Snapshots: State Activities to Promote Health Equity (graphic)
Of the 57 agencies surveyed, 46 returned responses. This map of the United States allows you to see each individual state response.
ASTHO 2008 Snapshots: State Activities to Promote Health Equity Introduction (doc)
The introduction and summary document of the Minority Health Survey.
Minority Health Survey 2007 (pdf)
ASTHO's survey of state and territorial health agencies. Of the 57 agencies surveyed, 46 returned responses.
Staff
Meenoo Mishra, MPH, Senior Analyst, Health Equity
Sharon Moffatt, RN, BSN, MS, Chief, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Albert Terrillion, DrPH, CPH, CHES, Senior Director, Family and Community Health