My Quest For Health Equity

My Quest for Health Equity is a vital resource for current and rising leaders.

This book focuses on the achievement of health equity. It proposes pragmatic, feasible plans to greatly reduce them or perhaps eliminate them. Health is taken here in its most global sense, as defined by the WHO: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity", which includes the achievement of one's full career potential (eg: equality of opportunity for minorities to become public health professionals). In this book, the author address disparities existing in several populations to include (but not be limited to) low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, women, children, low literacy, disabled, GLBTI, as well as other groups who are victims of health disparities. While the needs of these populations are discussed openly and candidly, the author vigorously fights stereotyping of specific groups. The book will expose the institutionalised, personally-mediated and internalised mechanisms, which cause or perpetuate differences in opportunities, stresses and exposures as well as in health care access and quality. Currently, health disparities represent the most important challenge of public health. This book proposes to unveil often undetected, neglected aspects of health disparities embedded in all aspects of health and healthcare as well as medical research. Concepts are discussed based on critical appraisal of available evidence in current literature. Uncomfortable issues such as racism and discrimination in health and health care are discussed, respectfully but openly. These issues are never easy to talk about; however, being too comfortable often means very little change. Being uncomfortable can be a stimulus for change.

Offers vivid narratives illuminating the challenges and opportunities health professionals and policymakers face Distinguished by abundant patient and health provider narratives highlighting the impact of health disparities on health outcomes worldwide, this scholarly yet practical text prepares RN-BSN, DNP, and PhD students to work toward improving community health for a variety of underserved and vulnerable populations. Grounded in the population health approach addressed in AACN Essentials, the text delivers practical steps nurses can take to address population health goals, including the improvement of quality of care, access to healthcare, improved outcomes, and cost management. The resource is also unique in its reflection of the interconnected points of view of the patient, the provider, and the health system. Written by lawyers, physicians, social workers, statisticians and economists, psychologists, ethicists, finance experts, population health specialists, anthropologists, and nurses, the text emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to learning and all components of health care—delivery of care, policy, research, and teaching. It examines demographic differences, chronic and acute health conditions, and the health needs of the unserved/underserved across the life cycle. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding the social determinants of health and discusses ways to address health disparities through changes in public policy, attitudes, beliefs, education, research, and advocacy. Objectives, key terms, discussion questions, and exercises facilitate group discussion about best practices. Key Features: Delivers practical knowledge with detailed narratives and case studies of specific populations from experienced interprofessional authors Highlights the interwoven perspectives of patients, health providers, and health systems to promote cultural competence Pinpoints health disparities including a discussion of COVID-19 Presents selected historical landmarks and cases that influence population health outcomes among vulnerable groups Interdisciplinary approach includes the perspectives of other health and social science disciplines

"The authors tell the story of the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools and the hard-won influence that it built in American politics and health care. This story speaks to the history of Black people's exclusion from medical fields and to racial inequities in health"--

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught the world many things, but one of the most crucial is the need to communicate tailored health information through trusted messengers effectively. The Birth of Grapevine Health chronicles the experiences of one physician, Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick, a CDC-trained medical epidemiologist on a mission to deliver trusted health information to the Black community through Grapevine Health, a community and health outreach organization she started with the aim to improve patient engagement and health literacy in underserved communities through the digital delivery of tailored health messages. Fitzpatrick reveals why she began building an organization that, in 2020, appeared tailored for the COVID-19 pandemic long before that crisis unfolded across the globe. Frustrated by the lack of progress in addressing health inequity, Dr. Lisa moved into an under-resourced community to become proximal enough to better understand health inequity and the structural and policy changes needed to address it. She weaves her professional experiences with storytelling and lessons learned into a call to action for healthcare leaders, decisionmakers, and funders to move beyond data collection and shift toward action to focus on health prevention, move our health support further upstream and, ultimately, improve health outcomes for underserved communities. The Birth of Grapevine Health is part memoir, part health equity playbook, and offers a roadmap to actions needed to achieve health equity. At a time when health equity conversations seem ubiquitous, what sets The Birth of Grapevine Health apart is its embrace and integration of community voice. This book delivers deep insights and, at times, uncomfortable advice through the eyes of Black and brown patients and their communities about what it will take to achieve health equity.

“Paul Farmer brings his considerable intellect, empathy, and expertise to bear in this powerful and deeply researched account of the Ebola outbreak that struck West Africa in 2014. It is hard to imagine a more timely or important book.” —Bill and Melinda Gates "[The] history is as powerfully conveyed as it is tragic . . . Illuminating . . . Invaluable." —Steven Johnson, The New York Times Book Review In 2014, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea suffered the worst epidemic of Ebola in history. The brutal virus spread rapidly through a clinical desert where basic health-care facilities were few and far between. Causing severe loss of life and economic disruption, the Ebola crisis was a major tragedy of modern medicine. But why did it happen, and what can we learn from it? Paul Farmer, the internationally renowned doctor and anthropologist, experienced the Ebola outbreak firsthand—Partners in Health, the organization he founded, was among the international responders. In Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds, he offers the first substantive account of this frightening, fast-moving episode and its implications. In vibrant prose, Farmer tells the harrowing stories of Ebola victims while showing why the medical response was slow and insufficient. Rebutting misleading claims about the origins of Ebola and why it spread so rapidly, he traces West Africa’s chronic health failures back to centuries of exploitation and injustice. Under formal colonial rule, disease containment was a priority but care was not – and the region’s health care woes worsened, with devastating consequences that Farmer traces up to the present. This thorough and hopeful narrative is a definitive work of reportage, history, and advocacy, and a crucial intervention in public-health discussions around the world.

Community Health Workers in Action proposes support and expansion of the role of community health workers in meeting the health needs of marginalized groups in United States cities (although their potential reach is not limited to any one group or geographical section). Given the health inequities that continue to touch the lives of millions of people of color across the country, these professionals' efforts--which translate to innovative, community-centered responses designed to reach particularly vulnerable populations--are quite timely. In order to truly understand the topic of health care, one must first explore its historical contexts, socio-cultural factors, and the ways in which values play a critical role in shaping a worldview of the right to quality care. This book offers readers a window into the dynamic field that continues to expand in highly creative and cost-effective ways, which ultimately shape one major piece of the complicated puzzle that is health care in America.

Brazil's leadership role in the fight against HIV has brought its public health system widespread praise. But the nation still faces serious health challenges and inequities. Though home to the world's second largest African-descendant population, Brazil failed to address many of its public health issues that disproportionately impact Afro-Brazilian women and men. Kia Lilly Caldwell draws on twenty years of engagement with activists, issues, and policy initiatives to document how the country's feminist health movement and black women's movement have fought for much-needed changes in women's health. Merging ethnography with a historical analysis of policies and programs, Caldwell offers a close examination of institutional and structural factors that have impacted the quest for gender and racial health equity in Brazil. As she shows, activists have played an essential role in policy development in areas ranging from maternal mortality to female sterilization. Caldwell's insightful portrait of the public health system also details how its weaknesses contribute to ongoing failures and challenges while also imperiling the advances that have been made.