Health equity in the news
From local news to global conversations and groundbreaking research, health care is constantly evolving and highly covered in the media. Here, we share the latest news and trends – and how they drive our work to best serve our communities and members.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has launched a strategic plan to advance racial equity in the work the organization undertakes. In announcing the plan last month, Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein, MD, PhD, said the department witnesses the effects of racism daily whether in the severe and disproportionate maternal morbidity rates among Black birthing people, or in the high opioid-related death rates in Black communities.
The new plan aims to infuse equity into the department’s programs and services across the state, ranging from its efforts in emergency preparedness and response to strengthening its workforce and modernizing public health infrastructure. Specific objectives include implementing a data equity framework to address health inequities reflected in all future key online dashboards and reports, including data disaggregated by race and ethnicity, as well as supporting all-staff participation in a racial equity training series.
These commitments align with the work of the Health Equity Compact, a group of over 80 leaders of color, who aim to advance health equity together in Massachusetts. They advocate for state policy change in several priority areas including supporting standardized measurement of health equity across health care organizations and promoting workforce programs that focus on recruiting, training and supporting talent, particularly in communities of color.
With a mission of ensuring access to high-quality health care for everyone, Point32Health recognizes the importance of a widespread effort among stakeholders across the state. “No one organization can solve it alone,” says Point32Health President and CEO Cain A. Hayes, who is also a member of the Health Equity Compact. “It requires collaboration across companies, governmental entities, lawmakers and nonprofit organizations in the community at large.”
Read more about how Point32Health is committed to advancing health equity: