Health Inequities
Loren Bonner
Editor’s note: This article is part of Pharmacy Today’s ongoing coverage of structural racism.
During a session on health equity for pharmacists at APhA’s 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting in March 2021, Meagen Rosenthal, PhD, asked pharmacists to look at the health inequities that are specific to their community or the disease state in which they are experts.
“Am I willing to be focused on those [health inequities]?” Rosenthal asked session participants to ask themselves.
Health inequities are reflected in length of life; quality of life; rates of disease, disability and death; severity of disease; and access to medical treatment, according to Rosenthal.
The session gave pharmacists resources, tools, and specific steps they could take to begin addressing this complex issue.
“From the perspective of a busy pharmacist, this is just one more thing to do for someone working in the community,” said Rosenthal, who is an associate professor of pharmacy administration at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. “But there are resources that compile this information in the same way we compile guidelines so that it’s accessible and easy to digest.”
There are many definitions for health equity. At its core, health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
Rosenthal said this requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination and its consequences, unequal quality in education and housing, unsafe environments, and health care disparities.
Social determinants of health—such as a person’s neighborhood, physical environment, or access to healthy food options—are mostly responsible for health inequities.
The session was practical in nature. Participants were able to brainstorm together to begin chipping away at some of these barriers to health equity. Rosenthal asked the group to identify different health disparities and create SMART goals around them, with the aim of forming a group that could stay in touch with each other throughout the year to share information, resources, and success stories.
Key steps to addressing health disparities
- Identify important health disparities.
- Change and implement policies, laws, systems, environments, and practices to reduce inequities in the opportunities and resources needed to be as healthy as possible.
- Evaluate and monitor efforts using short- and long-term measures.
- Reassess strategies in light of processes and outcomes and plan next steps.
Resources