THE CAUSE: Reducing racial disparities in healthcare via Center for Closing the Health Gap whose mission is to lead the efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in Greater Cincinnati through advocacy, education, and community outreach.
THE CHALLENGE: For every miles of distance tracked between 11/16/22 and 11/30/22, we will donate $3 to the Center for Closing the Health Gap. This challenge ends at 11:59 PM EST on 11/30/22. Submissions will be accepted until 12/1/2022 at 11:59 PM EST.
THE WHY: Black people experience the highest mortality rates in most of the top ten leading causes of death in the U.S. (Center for Closing the Gap, 2022). On average, Black people are expected to have a lifespan 6 years shorter than white people. While Hispanic people had a higher life expectancy than whites, COVID-19 disproportionately impacted both Black and Hispanic communities. In 2020, life expectancy for white people decreased by 1.2 years compared to close to 3 years for Black and Hispanic individuals (Hill et al, 2022). Important to note is that data for other racial/ethnic groups were not available and these disparities are likely even greater in the American Indian and Alaskan Native population.
There are many barriers that contribute to health disparities. Healthcare providers and policymakers may carry implicit biases and misperceptions about various racial/ethnic groups that perpetuate racial disparities, such as access to care, how providers counsel patients, providers making appropriate referrals, pain management, etc. (Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2021; Chapman et al, 2013). Other factors, such as being uninsured or cost-related barriers also contribute to racial health disparities (Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2021). Health and medical care are fundamental human rights. In the words of John Green, “Disease only treats humans equally when our social orders treat humans equally.” Let’s get moving, beneFitFam.
Carratala, Sofia and Maxwell, Conner. “Health Disparities by Race and Ethnicity” Center for American Progress, 7 May 2020. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/health-disparities-race-ethnicity/
Center for Closing the Health Gap. 2022. https://closingthehealthgap.org/what-we-do/
Chapman, Elizabeth, et al. “Physicians and Implicit Bias: How Doctors May Unwittingly Perpetuate Health Care Disparities.” Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2013 Nov; 28(11): 1504–1510. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3797360/
Hill, Latoya, et al. “Key Facts on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity.” Kaiser Family Foundation. 26 Jan 2022. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/report/key-facts-on-health-and-health-care-by-race-and-ethnicity/
“Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities—Before and During the Pandemic.” U.S. Government Accountability Office. 28 Sept 2021. https://www.gao.gov/blog/racial-and-ethnic-health-disparities-and-during-pandemic
Radley, David C., et al. “Achieving Racial and Ethnic Equity in U.S. Health Care: A Scorecard of State Performance.” The Commonwealth Fund, 18 Nov 2021. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/scorecard/2021/nov/achieving-racial-ethnic-equity-us-health-care-state-performance