Health Equity Resources

Websites, online databases and resources

MedlinePlus contains resources dedicated to health disparities, including basic information, latest news, specific conditions or population groups, directories, organizations, etc.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s website on everything connected with Cover the Uninsured Week.

Access to the American Public Health Association Health Disparities Database.

The National Association of County and City Health Officials, Health Equity and Social Justice Program

Detailed, current census demographics for any area in the country, including income and educational level in a community at census.gov.

Texas Legislature On-Line, with easy to use search capabilities based on subject matter

Healthy People 2010 sets health objectives for the Nation to achieve, including eliminating health disparities among different segments of the population. It can be used by states, communities, professional organizations and others to develop programs to improve health.

The mission of the Office of Minority Health (OMH) is to promote health policies and programs to eliminate health disparities. Website topics include funding, data/statistics, cultural competency, health topics, minority populations, campaigns/initiatives, publications, federal clearinghouses, and research.

The APHA Health Disparities Community Solutions Database allows you to search for projects and interventions related to health disparities.

The Culturally Effective Pediatric Care webpage provides information changes in child demographics, information on the need for culturally effective pediatric care, AAP policy statements, community projects supported by the AAP, and related organizations, publications, & reports.

KIDS COUNT Latino Children and African-American Children Pocket Guides provides statistics on economic, educational, and social well-being for minority children and highlights gaps that persist between minority children and non-Hispanic white children in the United States.

Diversity Rx is a clearinghouse of information on how to meet the language and cultural needs of minorities, immigrants, refugees and other diverse populations seeking health care.

The Health Disparities Collaborative web site is focused on improving systems of health care. This site provides a communication portal and forum for sharing the challenges, successes, tools of the trade and lessons learned.

Texas Health and Human Services Commission

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Key publications and reports

The “National Healthcare Disparities Report” represents the first national comprehensive effort to measure differences in access and use of health care services by various populations. The report includes a broad set of performance measures that can serve as baseline views of differences in the use of services.

The 2004 “AMA Commission to End Health Care Disparities” report provides recommendations from the AMA and National Medical Association.

“Reducing Health Disparities Through a Focus on Communities” presents evidence of the key role that neighborhood and community factors play in determining health outcomes.

The 2002 Institute of Medicine report “Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care” supports the long-held perception that minorities tend to receive lower-quality health care than whites, even when insurance status, income, age and severity of conditions are comparable.

Listserves related to health disparities and health inequities

Equidad, sponsored by the Pan American Health Organization: information on publications and events related to health inequities and health disparities around the world. “is part of an effort to disseminate information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics; Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.

Spirit of 1848, for postings on social justice & public health that provide: a) information (e.g. about conferences or job announcements or publications relevant to and making explicit links between social justice & public health), and b) substantive queries or comments directly addressing issues relevant to and making explicit links between social justice and public health. To subscribe, send an email to spiritof1848-subscribe@yahoogroups.com with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.

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UTMB Center to Eliminate Health Disparities

This Resource Sheet was compiled by the Center to Eliminate Health Disparities at UTMB (CEHD), which is working on a number of programs to address health disparities locally and beyond, as we recognize that health disparities are a worldwide problem. The CEHD website will be back online by late May or early June. Current CEHD projects include:

The 3-Share Plan. The CEHD is developing program to provide benefits to uninsured employees of small employers (two to 50 employees) within Galveston County, dividing premiums evenly among enrolled employers, employees, and UTMB. Enrollment for a two year pilot phase is scheduled to begin early in summer 2008. Additionally, the Texas Communities Healthcare Coalition (TCHC) was developed in 2006 to expand the model across Texas through community uptake and legislative support for such programs. The TCHC currently includes representatives from Galveston, Harris, Travis, Dallas, and El Paso counties. If adopted by all participating counties, these programs could cover 80% of the uninsured population in Texas. Email Fran Devine with questions on 3-Share, and Jennifer Mineo on TCHC.

Early Childhood Lead Intervention. Recognizing that lead exposure is a serious health problem in Galveston, the CEHD and other UTMB entities are currently implementing a one year plan to screen all children up to 5 years of age in Galveston within one year, significantly reduce the time it takes to analyze blood samples, support educational programs on making homes lead-safe, and identify further opportunities to reduce exposure. Email Alexandra Nolen with questions.

Clinical Data Repository (CDR). The CEHD is working with UTMB’s Information Services to enable Galveston County providers to share patient encounter data without having to employ the same electronic medical record system. The CDR allows providers to collect and review information related to patients’ health status and plan for better resource utilization. A two-year pilot program will be implemented in the coming months. Email Maribel Martinez with questions.

Global Health Program. Recognizing the relationship between health disparities and global health issues as well as the need for health care practitioners capable of working effectively with diverse patient populations, the CEHD, the PAHO-WHO Collaborating Center for Training in International Health, the Department of Infectious Disease, and the Galveston National Laboratory are collaborating to strengthen interdisciplinary training at UTMB that links research, education, practice and policy related to global health issues. Email Alexandra Nolen with questions.

For general questions regarding CEHD, email Eartha Dotson.

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