What is Health Equity?

Health Equity: Achieving a Fair and Just Health System

Health equity is the state in which everyone has the opportunity to attain their full health potential, regardless of their social circumstances. It means that everyone has the same chance to be healthy, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or other factors.

Health equity is not about achieving equal health outcomes for everyone. Instead, it is about ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full health potential, even if their health outcomes are different. This means addressing the social, economic, and environmental factors that can affect health, such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to quality healthcare.

There are many benefits to achieving this. For individuals, it can mean living longer, healthier lives. For communities, it can mean stronger economies and a more just society. And for the world, it can mean a more peaceful and prosperous future.

There are many things that can be done to promote health equity. Some of these include:

• Expanding access to quality healthcare
• Addressing the social determinants of health
• Eliminating discrimination in healthcare
• Investing in education and healthy living programs
• Building strong communities
• Raising awareness about health equity

Health equity is a complex issue, but it is one that is essential to creating a healthier and more just world. By working together, we can create a future where everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy life.

Here are some of the key principles of health equity:

• Fairness: Health equity means that everyone has the same chance to be healthy, regardless of their social circumstances. This means addressing the social, economic, and environmental factors that can affect health.
• Justice: Health equity means that everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full health potential, even if their health outcomes are different. This means ensuring that everyone has access to quality healthcare and the resources they need to live healthy lives.
• Inclusion: Health equity means that everyone is included in the conversation about health and healthcare. This means ensuring that the voices of all people are heard and that their needs are met.
• Participation: Health equity means that everyone has the opportunity to participate in decisions about their health and healthcare. This means ensuring that everyone has a say in how healthcare is delivered and that their needs are taken into account.

There are many ways to promote health equity. Here are a few examples:

• Expanding access to quality healthcare: This can be done by expanding Medicaid and Medicare, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and making it easier for people to get the care they need.
• Addressing the social determinants of health: This can be done by investing in education, housing, and job training. It can also be done by addressing discrimination and other forms of social injustice.
• Eliminating discrimination in healthcare: This can be done by training healthcare providers on implicit bias and by creating policies that prohibit discrimination.
• Investing in education and healthy living programs: This can be done by providing school-based health services, offering nutrition education, and creating safe places for people to be physically active.
• Building strong communities: This can be done by supporting community-based organizations, creating social networks, and providing opportunities for civic engagement.
• Raising awareness about health equity: This can be done by conducting public education campaigns, training healthcare providers, and engaging policymakers.

Health equity is a complex issue, but it is one that is essential to creating a healthier and more just world. By working together, we can create a future where everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy life.

To learn more about health equity in our region, visit the Health Collaborative’s Health Equity Report which includes a story map and links to the full report with an executive summary.