Health Equity

Discussion

This week’s materials expand the scope of our discussion of health equity by introducing challenges faced in clinical settings by members of the LGBT community. In this activity, further expand that scope by using the analytic tools introduced in the course to better understand patterns of bias in clinical spaces.
Start by conducting some research in scholarly, industry, and high-quality journalistic sources about inequitable clinical treatment faced by one of the following groups:
• People on the autism spectrum
• People with physical or intellectual disabilities
• People who face mental health challenges
• Obese people
• Elderly people
• People living in remote areas
In addition, find impressions shared by people in this group, in their own words. This can be in articles, videos, discussion forums, social media, etc.
Then, in a couple of paragraphs:
• Apply Jenkins’s 4 Ps of Racism framework to analyze the group’s experience:
o Power
What resources does the group need that clinicians are able to allocate?
o Perception
What are the preconceptions members of this group face that could influence how they are treated?
o Performance
What are some documented ways that preconceptions about this group influence the types of care that they receive?
o Propagation
In what areas have individual acts of bias become patterns of systemic disadvantage?
• Recommend 1 or 2 specific measures that could foster accountability for behavior toward this group and thereby create a more equitable experience.
• Include a short bibliography: what 2 or 3 must-read articles would you recommend to clinical colleagues to help them understand what this group faces?

Assignment 5

Opportunities for change:
Throughout the course, you have considered opportunities to advance health equity in policy, organizational, and clinical contexts. And you have learned tools that can help you design, advocate for, and implement innovations. Use this activity to organize your preliminary thoughts about equity-oriented initiatives that you might want to pursue more deeply—first as part of next week’s final deliverable, and then, we hope, after the course is complete.
Begin by choosing an area of need that you have encountered in this course, or elsewhere in your experience, where you believe that you can make a difference. Then in 1 – 2 pages:
• Briefly summarize the area of need.
• Explain:
o The level(s) at which you are able to work to address it.
Your workplace, local or state government, in a nonprofit space, in the community, etc.
o Why you are well positioned to make a difference in this area.
o What skills from this course you might be able to bring to bear on the problem.
• Propose 3 potential interventions to address the area of need. For each:
o Briefly describe the initiative.
o Describe key stakeholder groups whose involvement will be needed.
o Explain why you think the approach will be effective.
o Explain why you think it may and may not be feasible in this context.