“Until we say as a society that this is an important enough priority that we need to do whatever it takes to reduce these disparities, we’re not going to make enough progress,” said Chin.
Even so, the 400-page report on health data is published specifically for that purpose, said Holmes, chief of the Analytics Studies Branch at the National Center for Health Statistics. She calls it a “reference book” that helps researchers, policymakers and doctors keep up with trends. State governments can also use it to assess the impact of healthcare initiatives.
The CDC report also serves as a reminder to doctors that health disparities exist among their own patients, said Chin, a professor of healthcare ethics and associate chief and director of research at the University of Chicago’s Section of General Internal Medicine.
The focus on health disparities comes on the heels of the 30th anniversary of what is commonly called the “Heckler Report,” the first federal acknowledgement that eliminating health disparities should be a national priority. Margaret Heckler, the then-Health and Human Services Secretary, commissioned The Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health, released in August of 1985.
For now, Chin urges patients to speak up. Those facing health challenges or barriers to care should tell their doctors.
“Really it’s a partnership,” Chin said. “That’s going to lead to the best care, when you work together as a team.”
