The Southeastern Health Equity Council (SHEC) has released the first Health Equity Report Card for the Southeastern region!
Some of the key findings include:
- In the Southeast, the percentage of racial and ethnic minorities with health insurance is lower than the national average.
- All Southeastern states scored an “F” in food security and had poor consumption of fruits, physical activity, obesity rates and diabetes rates.
- No state in the region currently requires culturally competency education for healthcare professionals. Culturally competent health care is one important way to ensure people receive the appropriate level of care within the health system.
The findings make a compelling case for Medicaid expansion, food-financing programs at the state and regional levels, and the establishment of mandatory cultural competency education for health care professionals. The SHEC will use this information to spark discussion among public- and private-sector decision makers about the systemic changes needed to achieve health equity
Population of focus: People living in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
Links to resource:
- Full report on Google Docs
- Description on the SHEC website
Date: 2014
Organization: Southeastern Health Equity Council