Health Equity is More Than a Health Care Discussion
Written by: Ayanna Telfort, EVP Director of Client Services (she/her)
There is no need to repeat the same devastating statistics of health care inequities in the US. In many health categories, such as, cardiovascular, respiratory, and oncology, minorities are disadvantaged and likely to suffer dire consequences. Unfortunately, this trend remains the same for mental health illness as well. Last month was Mental Health Awareness month and, although this time has passed, we must continue to combat the mental health crisis in this country. Mental health disorders are the costliest health conditions for adults between ages 18 to 64 in the US 1 and, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health, mental and behavioral health disorders are among the leading causes of disability in the US, accounting for 13.6% of all years of life lost to disability and premature death.2
When we examine mental health among diverse populations, we know that people who identify with racial or ethnic minority groups are less likely to receive adequate mental health care than those who do not identify with those same groups. Even before the crisis stemming from the pandemic, we understood in 2015 that among adults with any mental illness, 48% of people identifying as White received mental health services, compared with 31% of people identifying as Black and Hispanic, and 22% of people identifying as Asian. 3
These disparities in mental health have not gone completely unchallenged; in fact, many organizations and coalitions have been established to create greater awareness for, and expand access to, racial or ethnic minority groups. Some of these organizations are listed below.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and new initiatives continue to expand access. Yet, one must ask why we continue to see a growing divide in minority mental health care, despite having these resources. Unfortunately, but in accordance with other trends in our broken health care system, we continue to suffer from the deep-rooted cultural norms of the “haves and have nots.” As a result of racism, willful neglect, and indifference, we continue to build our health care solutions and advancements without including an important guiding principle that quality health care should be afforded to all.
The CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion declared one of its primary goals as “to achieve health equity by eliminating health disparities and achieving optimal health for all Americans.” They firmly believe (as does this author) that health equity in mental health and many other chronic conditions is only realized when every person has the opportunity to attain their full health potential, regardless of social position or other socially determined circumstances.
Health equity is the future of medicine. There is more at stake than the dignity of these minority communities—their ills impact all of the US. As if the human toll was not disturbing enough, it is critical to consider the financial toll of these inequities. Recently, policy analysts reporting for the Kaiser Family Foundation presented research that found medical costs attributed to health disparities that have surged to more than $90 billion. There are also other indirect costs that further contribute to economic losses when factors such as productivity losses and mismanaged disability funds are evaluated. 4
It would behoove every operator working in the health care space—whether a health care worker, administrator, or communicator—to take up this banner to not only eliminate disparities in mental health, but also across all sectors. Modern medicine will not be realized until we address health care inequities head-on. That means we must root out all biases, racial correction factors, miseducation of HCPs, lack of equal funding, and thinly supported access. These burdens will create problems in the future that our health care system will not be able to withstand, and which will impact all communities. Here, at Razorfish Health, we are committed to hiring the diverse talent and instituting the inclusive programming to ensure we are agents for overturning these health-related inequities and fueling the practice of modern medicine. Who’s with us?
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At Razorfish Health, we know what it takes to navigate the modern health care landscape. If you want to fuel your knowledge, please reach out to Delia.Pavlichko@razorfishhealth.com. We’re interested in hearing your perspective as well as your thoughts on upcoming communication challenges and opportunities.
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References:
1. Soni I. Top five most costly conditions among adults age 18 and older, 2012: estimates for the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. In: Statistical Brief (Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (US)) [Internet]. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2001–:Statistical Brief #471. Published April 2015. Accessed June 9, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK447186/
2. McGinty EE, Kennedy-Hendricks A, Choksy S, Barry CL. Trends in news media coverage of mental illness in the United States: 1995-2014. Health Aff (Millwood). 2016;35(6):1121-1129. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0011
3. Coleman KJ, Stewart C, Waitzfelder BE, et al. Racial-Ethnic Differences in Psychiatric Diagnoses and Treatment Across 11 Health Care Systems in the Mental Health Research Network. Psychiatr Serv. 2016;67(7):749-757. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201500217
4. Ndugga N, Artiga S. Disparities in health and health care: 5 key questions and answers. KFF. Published May 11, 2021. Accessed June 9, 2022. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/disparities-in-health-and-health-care-5-key-question-and-answers/