Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1508233
10 | Health Matters: Providence Saint John's Health Center WHAT CAUSES HEALTH INEQUITY? Health inequity can't be attributed to economic disparities alone. The American Heart Association notes that Black and Latino/a patients have significantly lower survival rates after hospital discharge than white patients do—even when controlling for socioeconomic status. While a lack of affordable quality health care plays a role in reduced life spans for people of color in particular, health inequity is much more complex than financial issues. It has to do with "societal systems and structures that expose people of color to health-harming conditions and that impose and sustain barriers to opportunities that promote good health and well-being," notes a 2022 study published in Health Affairs. It is attributable, in other words, to what's known as systemic, institutional or structural racism. In 2020, the Heart Association released a presidential advisory titled "Structural Racism as a Fundamental Driver of Health Disparities," in which the organization stated: • Structural racism is a current and pervasive problem, influenced by history and not merely an issue of the past. • Structural racism is real and produces adverse effects, whether it is blatant to others or perceived only or primarily by those impacted. • The task of dismantling the impact of structural racism on economic, social and health inequities is a shared responsibility that must belong to all of society. Like the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association has deemed structural racism a "public health crisis." Factors that go into this crisis include unequal access to healthful food and health care, less safe neighborhoods, communities subjected to more pollution from nearby freeways, heavy industry and landfills, and stressors such as unfair or biased treatment. SU2C_Providence_will_i_am_National_MASTER_StandardSizeA.indd 4-21-2023 12:35 PM Aubrie D. Jeffry / Eric Whitaker 1 Job Client Media Type Live Trim Bleed Pubs Providence 2023 SU2C Print Ad 7" x 10" 7.625" x 10.5" 8.625" x 11.25" None Job info None Notes Art Director Copywriter Account Mgr Studio Artist Proofreader E Whitaker A Jeffry M Miller Approvals Fonts Helvetica Neue (Condensed Bold), Neue Haas Grotesk Display Pro (65 Medium) Images SU2C_will_i_am_WithHeadline.psd (CMYK; 998 ppi; 30.04%), SU2C_Providence_qr-code_ English.eps (7.9%), providence-health-ser- vices.ai (2.5%), FullLogorDigital1.eps (15.22%), SaintJohnsHealthCenter_3L_cl- r_4cp.eps (15.44%) Inks Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black Fonts & Images Saved at None from C02F66ZUMD6R by Printed At COMMON SIZE A: Crop excess bleed Stand Up To Cancer is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. will.i.am Stand Up To Cancer Ambassador 45 or older? Ask your doctor about colon cancer screening. It could save your life. S:7" S:10" B:8.625" B:11.25" Black Americans are about more likely to get CRC and about more likely to die from it than other groups. 20 % 40 % 12 % 2 0 21 2 0 3 0 INCREASE IN COLORECTAL CANCER CASES IN PEOPLE UNDER AGE 50: 33 % (projected) importance of early detection through screening. Former California State Senator Isadore Hall III is featured on Los Angeles–area billboards sharing the same message. INTERNAL INITIATIVES Providence Saint John's also has a newly formed 20-person internal Health Equity committee, co-chaired by Colomé and Director of Risk Management Carol O'Dea. Even though the group has only been meeting since the beginning of the year, Colomé says, "we're well underway with devising plans for interventions to mitigate inequities through patient-focused initiatives." This committee's current effort is to create a stronger support system for patients with financial challenges. The group also is looking at how to improve the hospital experience for non-English-speaking patients. Colomé is serving as liaison between the staff committee and the board committee, which will support the internal group through fundraising and building awareness of its efforts.