Addressing Diversity in Health Care

Introduction

Health care is a human rights issue. While we are all entitled to the same level of care, not everyone receives it equally. This means that health disparities exist within our society—and these disparities can be addressed by providing quality health care services to all people regardless of race, ethnicity or gender.

Why diversity in health care is important

Diversity is important for health care delivery and patient care.

• Diversity can improve the quality of services that patients receive, by providing a better understanding of how to address their needs.

• It also helps ensure that your workforce is able to meet the needs of all patients, regardless of race or ethnicity.

• When you have a diverse workforce, you’re more likely to find new ideas on how to improve your organization’s practices—and those ideas will be based on what works best for everyone involved in making them happen!

Diversity training

Diversity training is a critical component of addressing disparities and racism in health care. Not only does it help you understand the importance of diversity, but it also ensures that your team members are aware of their own biases and able to self-correct when necessary.

When addressing diversity issues within your organization, consider using an inclusive approach that includes all people regardless of gender identity or sexuality (if applicable), race/ethnicity, ability status, age/ageism (if applicable), socioeconomic status or religious beliefs as well as other identities not listed here

Disparities in care

• Race and ethnicity: Racial and ethnic disparities in health care are well-documented. For example, Black patients may be less likely than other races to receive timely access to care, or a telephone call from their doctor after being admitted into the hospital. They may also experience higher rates of mortality from common medical conditions like heart attacks or strokes. In addition, Hispanic Americans who speak English as a second language are more likely than those who do not speak it at all (1) to have difficulty communicating with physicians and nurses about their needs; (2) to be prescribed lower doses of medications than English-speaking patients; (3) and even when they do receive correct information on treatment plans from doctors and nurses, they are still less likely than monolingual speakers to understand what they’ve been told (4).

Social determinants of health

Social determinants of health include income and education, employment, housing and food security.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), social determinants of health are “the conditions in which people live and work that either hinder them from reaching their full physical, mental and social potential or allow them access to opportunities for health promotion”.

The role of race and racism in perpetuating disparities

Racism is a social construct, meaning it is created by people and exists in their minds. It is also institutionalized, which means that the practices and policies of society reflect this belief system. Racism can be seen as a form of oppression that perpetuates inequity for individuals based on their race or ethnicity and/or class status (e.g., being poor). The negative impact on health outcomes are well-documented across racial groups but have not been observed consistently among all groups due to varying levels of exposure to racism within different environments (e.g., housing availability; employment opportunities).

Racial discrimination has been shown to increase stress levels among individuals who experience it often enough during childhood or adolescence while they’re growing up; this could lead them down paths later in life like alcohol use disorder or depression symptoms such as anxiety attacks when faced with similar experiences later on down the road when faced with similar situations due again perhaps because nobody likes being treated unfairly based solely upon their appearance – especially when there’s nothing else wrong happening!

Conclusion

In conclusion, we believe that diversity in health care is important because it allows us to understand the needs of our communities and provide the best possible care. However, disparities still exist between different groups of people and between races. This means that we must continue advocating for more training and awareness around these issues if we want them to be addressed effectively by our healthcare system.