Health Equity Education can aid in eradicating health disparities in that it contributes to productive conversations, enlightens and shifts perspectives, and bridges gaps in societal systems that contribute to marginalized groups. Without this knowledge, well-intentioned individuals can impede any actions being taken towards achieving health equity.
What Is Health Equity?
“Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care…”
Why Equity Matters
The growing consensus is that health equity is largely supported by data; data demonstrating that gaps in health stem from societal barriers present at all levels. Research indicates that health inequity is a result of neglect in meeting basic needs which in turn leads to a lower level of overall health status. When one community suffers, a ripple effect is inevitable across all communities. Thus, to prompt thriving public health across the board, an emphasis must be placed on vulnerable and at-risk populations.
Educating the Community
To combat health inequity and disparities, an emphasis must be placed on increasing health literacy among vulnerable communities. Research reveals a link between education and health. The level of educational attainment usually predicts health outcomes and life expectancy. Latino Connection is equipped to implement educational programs in at-risk communities to increase health literacy resulting in better health outcomes and higher life expectancy.
Educating the Practitioners, Stakeholders, and Decision-Makers
Latino Connection is dedicated to better-equipping practitioners, stakeholders, and decision-makers with up to date health equity education, in order to eradicate injustices in the healthcare system once and for all. Up to date health equity education includes:
- What impedes health equity conversations from taking place?
- What are the healthcare professionals’ roles as advocates in the current system?
- How can they be empowered to become change agents in that system?
The relationship between an individual and the conditions in which one lives using the metaphor of a fishbowl. If the bowl in which a fish lives is dirty, or the glass is cracked and the water is leaking, the fish will never reach its full health potential, despite any individual effort.