Health Equity: Addressing Health Disparities and Systemic Racism in Healthcare

BY BRITTANY BOGAN, FACHE, CPPS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF SAFETY & QUALITY, MHA, AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MHA KEYSTONE CENTER

The events of the past several months have highlighted and amplified the systemic racism that is a persistent and widespread problem in our society. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color has called out, in yet another example, the racial disparities that exist in access to healthcare and health outcomes.

As a patient safety and quality organization, the MHA Keystone Center has long been committed to this call – addressing health disparities is a foundational concept that shapes all our quality improvement and safety efforts. We believe healthcare systems are the epicenter for leading these efforts by providing resources, educational tools and best practices to confront and overcome the disparities and inequities within their communities.

To that end, we’re dedicated to supporting hospitals and caregivers by offering structure and actionable steps to ensure the healthcare system is active and transparent in addressing disparities and implicit bias.

The Reliability Culture Implementation Guide, which can be accessed through MHA.org, is a tool that incorporates elements of safety culture with the five principles of high-reliability organizations – preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resiliency and deference to expertise. In addition to this, we’ve shared an article with our membership that debunks the seven common misconceptions about health equity.

The five principles of highreliability organizations: • preoccupation with failure • reluctance to simplify • sensitivity to operations • commitment to resiliency • deference to expertise

The article outlines the significance of social determinants of health as it relates to health equity and the demographic and socioeconomic conditions that are often overlooked, or misunderstood, by health systems.

I encourage you to take advantage of these resources as we collectively strive to achieve health equity and improve population health by meeting the needs of all patient populations, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, education, culture, heritage, religion, location, physical ability or socioeconomic status.

Through our own member-facing community site, the MHA Keystone Center offers events, webinars and workshops designed to address cultural competency and provide strategies to reduce healthcare disparities. By using the Health Equity Organizational Assessment, MHA Keystone Center members can assess their organization’s current activity and identify areas for improvement as it relates to addressing disparities. We also plan to release a comprehensive guide later this summer to support members in ensuring that every person in every community receives high-quality, equitable and safe care.