HEALTH DISPARITIES
Advancements in medical science have not reduced the health disparities, those higher rates of premature death, chronic diseases and other poor health outcomes that racial and ethnic minorities have in comparison to non-minorities.
The differences start at birth, with higher rates of low-birth weight and infant mortality for African Americans, Hispanic/Latinos and other minority groups. And the gap continues with minorities experiencing higher rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity and asthma.
The causes of health disparity are varied and complex and include personal behaviors, but experts agree that inadequate access to care and substandard quality of care are two major factors.
Barriers to care result from socio-economic conditions, including education, economic instability, housing conditions, as well as cultural issues. But when minorities have similar levels of access to care, health insurance and education of non-minorities, they still often receive poorer quality of health care.
The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland seeks to improve health outcomes for those most in need and is working to reduce health disparities in Cleveland and in the Central Neighborhood,
which is experiencing serious challenges such as a high number of uninsured and incidence of chronic disease.
The Foundation, which views health as vital to supporting families' well being, as well as building stable neighborhoods and reducing poverty, has awarded more than $5 million in grants towards eliminating health disparities through
health literacy and
healthy eating and active living programs.
The Foundation is working to improve health literacy by reducing patient-medical provider miscommunication can result in lower quality of care.
The foundation is also promoting healthy eating in Central by helpding residents get access to fresh nutritious food by supporting local farmers markets, urban gardens and by giving residents incentives to use their
Electronic Benefit Transfer cards at local farmers markets.
The Foundation also supports health policy organizations as they pursue objectives of promoting or improving government policies that may reduce health disparities. The Foundation also supports the policy goals of the Catholic Health Association of the United States.