Mary Bowers
OMH, US DHHS, PHS Region VI

Yvonne Johns
OMH, US DHHS, PHS Region IV

Regina Lee
Senior Policy Advisor, OMH, US DHHS

Provided overview of the Healthy People Goal of eliminating health disparities and raising key questions for consideration during the public comment period.

Key messages:

• Should the Eliminating Disparities goal in Healthy People 2010 be applied across all health focus areas?
• Although the 2010 guidelines suggest a "better than the best" approach to target-setting, this has not yet been applied uniformly and consistently across the current set of proposed objectives. Let us hear your comments about these approaches and target-setting.
• No data, no official problem; no problem, no action; no action, persistent and increased gaps. Do we want to show where data gaps exist?
• If we are truly going to "close the gap", a greater amount and rate of change will be required for those who are least healthy than for those who are healthiest--while, at the same time, improving health for all.
• How, if at all, should we address existing disparities by gender, age, functional status, and income? Should similar or different approaches be implemented? Are there other variables that need to be considered?

Reverend W. L. Cortrell
Vine City Health Partnership

Provided a faith-based perspective toward the goal of eliminating health disparities.

• We have all kinds of needs assessments of communities, but what is really needed is an "asset" assessment in order to empower communities.
• We cannot use a paternalistic approach.

Marsha Broussard, MPH
Director, Healthy Business, Inc.

Provided an overview of the need for better community infrastructure in order to achieve the goal of eliminating health disparities

• Need to establish a community health system with a strong infrastructure.
• There is a significant manpower shortage in ethnic representation in the health professions.
• Diversity is a strength in our communities.

Comments/Questions from Open Discussion with Participants

• Need to put "no data" in every objective where racial and ethnic data are missing.
• Asset mapping is the key .
• We want to go from "building an audience to building an army".
• Need to be realistic when setting targets...what can really be done it ten years...don’t choose to do it all at once.
• Need to use "better-than-the-best"...the gap widens in numbers only!
• Racism is a problem...need the power of race unity to help us work better.
• What about the multi-ethnicity of our children, e.g., a Black, Native American child...how do the targets affect them?
• Focus our priorities on those in poorest health...this makes good economic sense.
• Let the community respond to their needs, not the needs of the federal government.
• Sexism, racism, and ethnic disparities are seen everywhere...due to a lack of public health professionals and a lack of public health skills in those professionals who are serving in public health jobs without public health training.
• Improve the workforce! Train professionals in risk behaviors, preventive skills and move away from providing services.
• Need to do a better job at explaining what you mean about eliminating disparities. Native Americans would be delighted to reach the national average. Don’t make the target even harder to reach.
• No one has talked about gender and lifestyle with regard to issues such as HIV/AIDS.
• Make linkages with emergency departments in your communities. This may be the only point of contact for many vulnerable populations.
• We are way beyond Band-Aids and Bengay.
• For many persons, health is the last priority on their list.
• Broaden mental health to emotional health and include depression.
• Targets do not take into account the interventions that tell us what we can realistically expect to do in each goal area.
• The issue of disparities is so complex in this country that we need more discussion and more thought about how multi-factorial all of these issues are.
• How ethical is it that resources are not following need?
• We are talking to each other, but where are the other people who need to be here? This is like preaching to the choir.
• Employment is necessary to have money for health care, no matter what kind of insurance you have.
• Think about who we put in office—we could be destroying our own futures.
• Lack of diversity was noticeable in the public health infrastructure meeting.
• Why do we only talk about disparities in one session? It should have been the focus of the whole meeting.
• Need to address all populations.

  New Orleans Transcripts and Summaries