Issues • May 2010 • Health Disparities

Healthy People 2010 Document Focuses on Eliminating Health Disparities

From the Draft Document:

 
  • "Many advocacy groups felt that accepting lower standards for racial and ethnic groups as compared to the total population was unjust."
     
     
    • "Reaching this goal will necessitate improved collection and use of standardized data to correctly identify all high-risk populations and monitor the effectiveness of health interventions targeting these groups."
       
       
      • In February 1998, "Clinton committed the Nation to eliminate health disparities between racial and ethnic minority group by the year 2010 in six health issue areas (infant mortality, cancer screening and management, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and childhood and adult immunizations."
         
         
        • Department of Health and Human Services' Initiative to Eliminate Disparities in Health - reinforces "the principle of equity"
           
           
          • "...differential access to social and health care resources most often reflect occupational, educational, and income and wealth differences among Americans...These differences in access to economic and social resources appear to drive many of the health disparities found across Americans. Growing inequalities in income and wealth over the last two decades should refocus attention on socioeconomic position as a key determinant of growing disparities in health in the coming decade...Each increase in social position, measured by income or education, improves the chances of being in good health"