Pledge to Eliminate Healthcare Disparities
April 8, 2020
IHA and the hospital community have long been concerned about healthcare disparities and the underlying socio-economic factors that continue to adversely affect vulnerable communities and populations across Chicago and Illinois, especially African Americans and Latinos. IHA is alarmed that African Americans make up a disproportionate share of coronavirus infections and deaths in Chicago and the state. During this unprecedented crisis, hospitals’ healthcare workers are working tirelessly to care for all COVID-19 patients, regardless of race, ethnicity or ability to pay.
IHA is strongly committed to continuing our work with key stakeholders to address and eliminate these disparities and is encouraging members to take action now and join the #123forEquity Pledge to Act to eliminate healthcare disparities. AHA and four national partners in the Equity of Care initiative ask hospitals to take a pledge to work on:
- Increasing the collection and use of race, ethnicity and language preference data;
- Increasing cultural competency training;
- Increasing diversity in governance and leadership; and
- Improving and strengthening community partnerships.
Here's the “123”:
#1: Take the pledge to achieve the call to action's three areas within 12 months, and start by focusing on one or more quality measures.
#2: Take action to implement strategies supported by your leadership team and provide progress updates.
#3: Tell others your story and share lessons learned.
An online map provides a listing of participating organizations. Thus far, Illinois has 62 organizations that have taken the pledge, including IHA and hospitals throughout the state.
To complete your pledge online, click here. A pledge packet contains the #123forEquity Pledge and additional resources to assist members with their efforts to eliminate healthcare disparities. An AHA #123forEquity toolkit can be accessed here. A Hospitals in the Pursuit of Excellence Equity of Care toolkit is available here. Other resources can be found on the Institute for Diversity in Health Management website.