Main Library
Becerra: Health Equity, Justice Remain “North Star” for HHS

Becerra: Health Equity, Justice Remain “North Star” for HHS

February 9, 2022Sara HeathPatientEngagementHITHealth Equity & Social Determinants of Health (SDOH),Covid-19 / Coronavirus

After nearly a year of health equity work, Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said the department will continue to make justice in the medical space a top priority.

“Dr. King famously called injustice in health the most inhumane and shocking form of inequality,” Becerra began in a keynote address during the Health Affairs Briefing: Racism & Health Virtual Event. “The past two years of this pandemic have really underscored the inequality in brutal detail, especially for communities of color.”

COVID-19 has killed Black, Latino, and Indigenous people at double the rate of White people, Becerra pointed out, while Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders remain three times as likely to contract the illness compared to White people.

But echoing many across the industry, health inequity did not begin when the novel coronavirus came ashore in the US. Rather, the pandemic illuminated stark racial health disparities present across a number of disease states, from maternal outcomes to cardiovascular mortality.

“We can, and we must, do more, and we must do better,” Becerra asserted. “That’s why at HHS, we’re putting equity at the core of everything we do.”

Full Article

: Becerra, COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccine, health equity, HHS, pandemic, SDOH

Related Posts

Social determinants of health: The COVID-19 pandemic has widened the gap

August 2, 2021Garrett Schmitt

Why the health care industry must prioritize health equity

January 31, 2022aco

Inclusion In Health Technology Assessments: The First Step Toward Equity

November 10, 2021Garrett Schmitt

Recent Posts

  • Value-based care creating a new era of interoperability
  • ACO REACH And Advancing Equity Through Value-Based Payment, Part 1
  • Medicare Shared Savings Program: Celebrating 10 Years and Looking Forward to the Future
  • Considerations for Social Determinants of Health Screening Design
  • RECORDED WEBINAR: 5 Key Components for Organizational Growth Within Value-Based Care
 
  • Main Lobby
  • Exhibit Hall
  • Events
  • Exhibit With Us
  • Board Room
  • Library
  • Contact Us