HEALTH DISPARITIES
Health disparities - both in term sof health care and health outcomes - are well documented and researched in the United States.
Advancements in medical science have not reduced the health outcome 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, but experts agree that at the root are multiple socio-economic and environmental conditions. Those include education, economic instability, housing conditions, access to medical care and fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as cultural issues and personal behaviors. The quality of medical care provided to racial and ethnic minorities, as well as those of lower socio-economic status, also contributes to health disparities.
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 views health as vital to supporting families' well being, as well as building stable neighborhoods and reducing poverty.
The Foundation is also focused on improving health literacy in region, which contributes to disparities.
Health literacy encompasses an individual’s ability to find, understand, evaluate, and use health information to engage the services needed to make appropriate health decisions and navigate the health care system.
In keeping with our guiding principles of advocacy and empowerment, the Foundation supports health policy organizations as they pursue objectives of promoting or improving government policies that may reduce health disparities.
NEWS
Building Healthy Communities and the Garden Boyz are featured in Next American City Magazine
The recent attention to urban-agriculture and food-desserts has become a topic of interest and great relevance to our communities. We invite you to read an interesting article entitled: Cleveland’s Comeback – Reimagining the City from the Ground Up. The article highlights one of the Foundation’s grantees under the H.E.A.L. initiative, Building Healthy Communities and its Garden Boyz program. See link for full article:
http://American city.org/magazine/article/Clevelands-comeback