Disparities in Health Outcomes and Healthcare: Here’s How We Can Bridge the Divide and Close Care Gaps

by Health Net

Addressing health equity issues among people of color is imperative for healthcare leaders. A strategic approach to this challenge can improve community health outcomes and mitigate systemic inequities for at-risk populations.

In fact, according to a recent report by the California Healthcare Foundation, Black mothers fare worse on maternal/childbirth measures, with higher rates of low-risk, first-birth cesareans, preterm births, low-birthweight births, infant mortality, and maternal mortality.

As California prepares to expand its Medi-Cal program, Health Net, one of the state’s longest-serving Medi-Cal partners released a new report detailing key findings and lessons learned through extensive investments and work with communities of color.

“Reaching out to and connecting with communities of color is critical to the work we do as a health plan here in California,” said Dr. Pooja Mittal, Health Equity Lead at Health Net of California. “It’s a business imperative. It’s about good science. It’s about good medicine. It’s about humane care. For Health Net, closing health equity gaps is critical in our increasingly diverse society that embraces inclusiveness.”

The company’s report details health equity initiatives, like one in Sacramento County that resulted in a 25% reduction in deaths among Black children between 2014 and 2017.

“So many in our region are impacted by multiple crises, including COVID-19,” said Dana Sherrod, MPH, Birth Equity & Racial Justice Manager, and Lead of Cherished Futures for Black Moms & Babies, Public Health Alliance of Southern California. “It is crucial that we center on the hardest hit communities and elevate the voices of those with lived experience.”

Key findings of Health Net’s report include:

• The need to implement multi-faceted interventions;
• Recognition that community-based resources drive the greatest impact; and,
• Understanding that cultural competency is key and should be taught and prioritized by healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and the healthcare industry in general.
  


These findings are based on successful programs and partnerships that have helped reduce health disparities in key communities, including:

• A doula program that is demonstrating a 50% drop in c-section rates for Black mothers in South Los Angeles;
• Navigation support program that enrolled more than 400 new members in Medi-Cal; and,
• Innovative ‘prescription’ initiative that increased cervical cancer screening by Chinese women by 4%.

The health insurance access gap is just one of many inequities people of color experience in their day-to-day lives. Addressing these and other social determinants of health is a step in the right direction to ensure a healthier, happier California.