2007 Progress Report
Partnering Toward a Healthier Future
Eliminating Health Disparities in Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland
Purpose
The purpose of this inaugural Center on Health Disparities Report is to provide local health providers, community stakeholders, and policy makers with an overview of health disparities affecting communities in the tri-county Maryland region surrounding Washington, DC (Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s Counties). This report details demographic trends, cultural influences on health, analyses of health disparities across a range of health issues, and provides brief descriptions of local community groups working to reduce health disparities.
Demographics
The proportion of residents in the tri-county area and Maryland as a whole identified as African American, Latino, or Asian American is growing, with implications on the health of the community. These data mirror national trends.
Understanding Cultural Influences on Health Status and Health-Seeking Behavior
Understanding a population’s cultural beliefs about health helps providers and policy makers understand that community’s interactions with the healthcare system. This report summarizes some studies that demonstrate how cultural beliefs and practices, and obstacles such as insurance status and language barriers, guide communities’ interactions with healthcare providers and institutions.
Identification of Health Disparities in the Tri-County Area
The health indicators covered in this report include: healthful behaviors, access to health care, maternal and infant health, children’s health, elder care, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, mental health, HIV/AIDS, and accidents and injuries.
Conclusions and Recommendations
This report describes the health status of racial and ethnic minority communities in the tri-county area across 11 health topics. In order to respond to these disparities, providers and policy makers may wish to develop strategies to track health disparities across important sub-populations, and to promote initiatives to equip caregivers, patients, and their families with the tools necessary to make full use of our existing healthcare system. Finally, an ongoing program of research into best practices across these initiatives – working in close collaboration with local, regional, state, and national groups – would equip all stakeholders with the information necessary to develop effective prevention, treatment, and care programs for all individuals, regardless of their economic, cultural, linguistic, or demographic characteristics.
- Expand outreach and services for needs of racial and ethnic minorities. As noted across this report, healthcare providers, county health departments, state agencies, and community organizations are all implementing initiatives to reduce health disparities. As the region moves forward in addressing these issues, more resources should be devoted to these efforts, with special emphasis placed on taking advantage of other programs’ successes, and understanding how to successfully replicate some of these programs.
- Pursue programs of coordinated research into the underlying causes of health disparities, the efficacy of various health initiatives, and the appropriate knowledge diffusion strategies into local communities and caregivers. As different stakeholders explore the causes of disparities and the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing these disparities, a coordinated research agenda is needed. There is a need for the more systematic collection of racial and ethnic data, as well as language preference. In particular, it is difficult to evaluate health status among many immigrant populations as virtually no publicly available datasets disaggregate data by nativity. In order to better address the needs of the immigrant community, researchers will need to understand the health status and health needs of these populations in order to inform effective policy and interventions.
- Promote culturally and linguistically competent care and provide funding mechanisms to foster the exchange of best practices. Current grant programs and initiatives often concentrate on the development of innovate means of addressing health disparities. Educational efforts to disseminate these best practices is a vital next step. State and county funding streams could be created to promote increased collaboration and the formation of teams and working groups that would share experiences in different settings.