Resources to support diverse patients and communities

We’ve heard it all our lives: To be fair, you should treat everybody the same. But the challenge is that everybody is not the same—and these differences can lead to critical disparities not only in how patients access health care, but their outcomes as well. The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited public attention about the serious public health risks and consequences of disparities, and the critical need for health equity.

Health equity means everyone has the opportunity to reach their highest level of health, and barriers to doing so must be removed. Health disparities are health differences that are closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage.¹ Achieving health equity requires focus on the elimination of barriers and disparities associated with factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, socioeconomic status, disability, and even where you live.² As a result, it is imperative to offer access to care that is tailored to the unique needs of patients, and Empire BlueCross BlueShield is committed to supporting our providers in this effort. 

 

MyDiversePatients.com is where you can find resources, information, and techniques to help provide individualized care every patient deserves, regardless of their diverse backgrounds. There you can also find opportunities for free Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit for learning experiences on topics related to cultural competency and disparities. Mydiversepatients.com is free and accessible from any device (desktop computer, laptop, phone, or tablet) with no account or log in required. Scan the QR code below for direct access to mydiversepatients.com.

Stronger Together is a website where you can find free resources to support the diverse health needs of all people where they live, learn, work and play. These resources were created in collaboration with national organizations and are available for you to share with your patients and communities. Scan the QR code below for direct access to Stronger Together.

While there is no single, easy answer to address health care disparities, the vision of MyDiversePatients.com and Stronger Together is a start to reversing health care inequity one person at a time.

 

¹Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2022, Feb 6). Healthy People - Disparities. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/foundation-health-measures/Disparities

²Think Anthem.com. (2022, Feb 7). Why We Need Health Equity. Retrieved from https://www.thinkanthem.com/health-equity/what-are-health-disparities/

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