Health Equity
Our Why
We cannot have quality without equity
Quality means doing the right thing, for the right patient, at the right time, in the right way to achieve the best possible results. Equity ensures each person has the chance to achieve their fullest health potential.
Why is it important?
Health equity is defined by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as the state in which “everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be healthier.” A first step in achieving health equity is to identify where those disparities exist. Only then can we employ new practices to reduce inequities, monitor progress and celebrate advances in better health for all. Health equity is a precursor to individuals being able to exercise their other human rights—civil, political, social and economic.
What influences
health equity?
Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) can influence health equity in positive and negative ways
According to the World Health Organization, SDoH can impact anywhere from 30-55% of a person’s health outcomes.
Healthy People 2030, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved [date graphic was accessed], from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/social-determinants-health
Social Determinants of Health
How will we make it happen?
Free and charitable clinic patients are frequently uninsured, low-income and have other circumstances—or social determinants—that create barriers to receiving care. These same circumstances often increase the likelihood of having poor health outcomes. Treating patients with complex health and social needs demands that FCCs provide patient-oriented, high-quality care despite constraints in operating budgets.
The Roadmap to Health Equity enables participating clinics to stratify quality measures against social determinants of health and social domains to then use this data to address disparities through quality improvement efforts to help establish healthier and more just communities.
“There’s a strong linkage between health outcomes and the social determinants of health – such as food insecurity, employment, housing, health insurance.”
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