HCM632 Unit 4 Individual Project CH

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UNIT 4 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT 1 Unit 4 Individual Project Health Equity: A Public Health Issue in the American Healthcare System Colorado Technical University HCM632

UNIT 4 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT 2 Unit 4 Individual Project Public health is the science of protecting people and promoting health through research and initiatives aiming to prevent illness, disease, and injury in a given population (Walden, 2023). This population can be as small as a neighborhood community or as large as the entire world. Public health professionals, alongside medical professionals and local, state, and federal governments, investigate the physical and environmental causes of diseases or injuries, research health trends, provide training on health improvement, and advocate for policies and laws that promote greater public health. Threats to general public health, including pandemics, air pollution, behavioral health, and chronic illness, are categorized as public health issues. These are only a few examples of public health issues plaguing America today. These issues vary in severity and scale, depending on the mode of transmission and strength of the healthcare system as a whole. Some public health issues have persisted for hundreds of years, such as communicable disease and socioeconomic, minority, and racial disenfranchisement, while others developed more recently, like gun violence, antibiotic resistance, and climate change. It is crucial to address and mitigate the damage of these public health issues to improve the health, wellbeing, and longevity of all people in America, as well as around the world. In recent years, the scope of public health in America has shifted to include the advancement of health equity and the elimination of healthcare disparities across the nation. Health equity, as defined by Braveman (2014), is the underlying principle of commitment to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities in part through focusing on those who are at

UNIT 4 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT 3 greatest health risk, leading to the highest possible health for all people. Those considered at greatest health risk would be determined by socioeconomic conditions and social determinants of health, such as individuals facing discrimination or racism, individuals with disabilities, individuals in hazardous work environments, or individuals who are undereducated or low- income. Differences in health outcomes related to the aforementioned disadvantages are health disparities. It is important to note that not all health differences are categorized as health disparities; differences in health outcomes between younger and older populations, for instance, is an expected phenomenon and not based on healthcare inequity. Health equality would mean treating every patient exactly the same, with no regard to their life experience or ethnic/cultural differences. While the goal is for all people to reach the highest possible standard of health, certain groups are more at risk for poor health, have less ability to get treatment, and are more likely to get severely sick or die from a treatable or preventable diseases and these people need more support and opportunity from the healthcare system to reach that same level of health (APHA, 2021). Health equity and health disparities are intertwined, wherein the former can only exist when the latter is eliminated. To focus on improving health equity is to focus on health disparities, by identifying them, researching them, and creating strategies and policies to eradicate them. Health equity represents a public health issue in the United States due to persistent and detrimental health disparities that exist in the healthcare system. These health disparities negatively affect not only disadvantaged individuals but also overall population health and the United States economy. A study by the National Urban League Policy Institute estimated that health disparities caused an economic burden of $126 billion dollars in medical costs and lost

UNIT 4 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT 4 productivity in 2020 and that number is anticipated to increase to $363 billion by 2050 (Fee & Gonzalez, 2017). Healthcare system and policy changes implemented in the coming decades could help mitigate the impact of health disparity-related medical expenditures. Social policies beyond healthcare such as minimum wage increases, progressive tax plans, and antidiscrimination laws regarding equitable housing and employment statutes could lessen the societal burden on disadvantaged groups and promote overall health and safety (Braveman, 2014). It is a public health responsibility for governments of all levels to advance the causes of health equity and progress toward the elimination of health disparities through community, state, and federal programs and policies. Local governments can address health disparities at the community level by sponsoring a robust public health services infrastructure, improving education access and quality, and ensuring safe, affordable housing for all citizens (Rosenthal et al., 2022). By addressing the social determinants of health, communities can support and uplift the most at risk members of their society and improve health and the quality of life for everyone. In a powerful example of what community initiatives can achieve, Iton et al. (2022) detailed their involvement with the California Endowment initiative Building Healthy Communities, a group that promotes environmental justice and building community power to improve population health and health equity, as they lobbied for neighborhood parks as community enrichment. At the state level, governments and policymakers can build on the progress of local government in improving public health infrastructure and equitable access to essential and specialty medical care across the state. For example, in July 2021, California added an additional $300 million to the annual budget for public health agencies (Rosenthal et al., 2022). If other

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