Last week, Connecticut residents had a tremendous emotional reaction to the change that is coming in government. Whether it was joy or sadness, the resounding feeling was that something big had happened.
Over the course of this week, I pondered what it will mean for our mission at Health Equity Solutions. In short, I cannot think of a more important time to bring awareness of health inequities and offer innovative solutions to address them. Here’s why:
We live in a time when medical advances have come so far that we can prevent, cure, and better manage disease; we can ensure better longevity than ever in human history. Yet, despite all our technological advances, the US still spends more money on both health care and preventable disease than most of the Western world, but with poorer results.
Fairing the worst, are people deemed in our society to be minorities, who, through no fault of their own, are disproportionately experiencing lower quality care and poor health outcomes. Racial and ethnic minorities experience health inequities in Connecticut resulting in shorter life expectancy, higher rates of chronic disease, and higher rates of avoidable complications. In Connecticut, where you live and your race can determine how healthy a life you might have.
That is wrong and something that must change.
Every resident in Connecticut should be able to live a healthy life free from the barriers related to race, ethnicity, income and education level. We have let these unnecessary barriers prevent individuals, really entire groups of people, from reaching their best health status possible. It is a problem that has gone unaddressed for far too long.
The time to act is now. Here in Connecticut, we must turn our efforts toward implementing strategies that eradicate health inequity in our state.
We must come to terms with the problem of health gaps and inequity in Connecticut, and resolve together to put forward solutions to eliminate them. In the coming weeks, we will be putting forward solutions to address this critical issue facing Connecticut.
As I walk away from last week and continue to step toward the future, I know, now more than ever, that health care is going to be a focal point of the dialogue in Connecticut and across the country. Health Equity Solutions is here to work with allies, advocates, and policymakers to ensure health equity is a part of that dialogue.
Stand with us TODAY by signing up for our email alerts to be the first to know how you can help make sure every Connecticut resident leads a healthy life free from the barriers caused by race, ethnicity, income and education level.
Together we can become the healthiest, happiest, and most equitable state in the nation!