Advisory Council on Health Disparity and Health Equity meets July 12; time to weigh in on VDH's leadership
Items on the meeting agenda (PDF) include the State Health Commissioner's update, COVID presentations, presentations about the disability community and mental health, and updates from the Office of Health Equity.
According to the National Institues of Health,
Health disparities are preventable differences in health status and outcomes that adversely affect certain populations. Research on health disparities examines the influence of environment, social determinants, and other underlying mechanisms leading to differences in health outcomes. This multidisciplinary field of science also seeks to identify evidence-based approaches to reduce the unequal burdens of morbidity and mortality among disparity populations defined as racial/ethnic minority, low socio-economic status, rural, and sexual and gender minority populations in the United States.
The CDC writes this about health equity:
Health equity is achieved when every person has the opportunity to “attain his or her full health potential” and no one is “disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances.” Health inequities are reflected in differences in length of life; quality of life; rates of disease, disability, and death; severity of disease; and access to treatment.
Yet commissioner Colin Greene disputes the vast body of research that finds health outcomes, drug trials, access to health care, and other important elements of health are negatively impacted by racism. Writes health care reporter Jenna Portnoy in Tension over role of racism in public health strains Va. agency under Youngkin, Greene “has rejected the state-recognized declaration that racism is a public health crisis and downplayed the role of racism in health disparities. . .”
Should you be interested in commenting on the absolute need for health equity work to continue uninterrupted at the Virginia Department of Health, join the meeting and speak your mind during the public comment period. Alternatively, submit a written statement to Ms. Doe; be sure to copy Mr. Greene and the governor.