Research Institute

The Center on Health Disparities conducts, supports, and participates in innovative community-based research into both the incidence and prevalence of disparities, and into effective strategies to promote health equity and improve quality. Hospitals and other health care organizations use research on health disparities to implement evidence-based healthcare practices.

Progress Reports & Conferences

Part of the Center’s goal is to enhance knowledge, dissemination, and implementation of best practices key to eliminating health and healthcare disparities. Since 2007, the Center on Health Disparities has developed and disseminated annual progress reports in conjunction with health disparities conferences to bring community stakeholders together and share best practices in research and community interventions to eliminate health disparities locally.

Projects & Partners

The Center on Health Disparities partners with research and academic institutions in the DC Metropolitan area to:

• Conduct nationally-recognized research on the causes of health disparities and solutions to achieve health equity,
• Develop strategies for implementing evidence-based research in practice, and
• Improve quality measurement and reporting by race, ethnicity, preferred language, and country of origin.

Project BEAT IT! Becoming Empowered Africans through Improved Treatment of Diabetes, Hepatitis B, and HIV/AIDS

BEAT IT is a project funded by the Office of Minority Health’s National African Immigrant Project, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of this pilot project is to help improve chronic and infectious disease management and health outcomes in the African immigrant community, specifically patients with a diagnosis of HIV, hepatitis B, or Type 2 diabetes. The CHD has developed (1) training for healthcare providers to utilize when providing culturally competent care and support to African immigrant patients with HIV, hepatitis B, or Type 2 diabetes and (2) health education modules to increase health knowledge and promote successful disease management among African immigrants. Desired outcomes for providers include increased awareness and knowledge of culturally competent care, including appropriate intake and discharge procedures. Desired outcomes for patients (also referred to as consumers) include increased awareness and knowledge of health conditions and treatment, increased medication and treatment adherence, and reduced unplanned medical visits. At the end of the project, OMH will disseminate the curricula and findings nationwide.

The Breathe Better Project

The Breathe Better Project is a collaborative partnership with the University of Maryland College Park School of Public Health, Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services, and other community organizations to reduce hospitalizations and repeat visits to the emergency department for asthma among minority populations, children, and adults. The project includes a cultural competence and asthma management training for emergency department providers with resources for asthma patients to receive appropriate follow-up care and services (e.g., referrals to community clinics, discount prescription programs, and asthma management education programs).

The Montgomery County Hospital Care Equity Initiative is a pilot program of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution in collaboration with Adventist HealthCare and other Montgomery County hospitals. Through this effort, local hospitals stratify hospital performance measures by patient race and ethnicity in order to build their capacity to examine local health disparities, measure racial/ethnic health care equity, and enhance health care quality improvement efforts. In order to provide quality care and ensure the best services for all patients served by Adventist HealthCare, patient registration and other staff are trained to ask all patients about their race, ethnicity, language preference, and other personal information. They are also trained to understand why it is important to collect such information and how it will be used.