The “Commission to End Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities” issued their final report last night. We’ll post the report here and on the HCFA home page when we get it. You can read the the release summarizing the report from the Commission’s House Chair, Peter Koutoujian, here, and listen to WBUR’s interview with Koutoujian and the Senate chair, Dianne Wilkerson, here. The Globe also covered the story. Also present at the release event were EOHHS Secretary Dr. JudyAnn Bigby and DPH Commissioner Jon Auerbach. Both were members of the Commission before being appointed to their posts, and both pledged continued action on disparities. Representatives Gloria Fox, Marie St. Fleur, Jeffrey Sanchez, Willie Mae Allen, and Alice Wolf also attended.
Dr. Bigby and Senator Wilkerson pointed out the substantial steps already included in chapter 58, including tying hospital rate increases to progress on disparities reduction, the creation of a permanent Disparities Council, and a study on using community health workers. The Quality and Cost Council, also established by health reform, is ordering insurers to collect racial and ethnic data as well. Dr. Bigby and Commissioner Auerbach both said they intend to make additional announcements to implement the report in the next few weeks, including work to diversify our health workforce and fund pilot projects on disparities reduction.
The report calls for the creation of a Center for the Elimination of Health Disparities within state government. The Center would have authority to “monitor, assess and address the social determinants of disparities in health across executive branch departments,” including oversight of state agencies; funding of demonstration projects such as navigators, outreach workers and health educators; training; data collection and an annual report card on progress and best practices.
The report’s recommendations are consistent with the provisions of legislation (H. 2234) supported by our Disparities Action Network. The bill is currently pending before the Committee on Public Health. Our hope is that a combination of executive and legislative action can quickly advance the disparities agenda and move us into the forefront on this issue.
