State Health Improvement Process (SHIP) |
More than half of the SHIP accountability measures reveal unacceptable and preventable racial and ethnic disparities in health. These include:
African American babies are three times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies.
Almost one in two nonelderly Hispanics did not have health insurance in Maryland in 2007-2009 compared to one in ten Whites not having insurance.
The HIV infection rate is almost 12 times higher for African Americans than for Whites.
The asthma Emergency Department visit rate is more than four times higher for African Americans than for Whites.
Click here to view the SHIP framework with racial/ethnic disparities measures.
Addressing these and other disparities is a top priority. In March 2004, the Department launched an initiative to eliminate minority health disparities following legislative action by the Maryland General Assembly. Since that time, the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (MHHD)has partnered with DHMH programs, local health departments, and community based organizations to implement a series of strategies to achieve health equity.
In 2010, the State's Health Care Quality and Cost Council, led by Lt. Gov Anthony Brown, established a new Workgroup to identify strategies to eliminate disparities in the health care system. The Workgroup submitted a report in December that recommended (1) formation of Health Enterprise Zones (HEZ), (2) establishment of a Maryland Health Innovation Prize, and (3) analysis of health care quality data by race and ethnicity. The 2012 Legislative Session is considering a bill to implement the HEZ. This report can be found by clicking HERE.
The Health Department's Public Health arm, led by Deputy Secretary Fran Phillips, is collaborating with the Quality and Cost Council's Prevention Subcommittee to identify and pursue state policy initiatives that can impact health disparities. Three areas of focus are tobacco, nutrition (obesity) and hypertension policy. Programs in the MHHD Office focus on minority health improvement and disparity reduction in the areas of cancer, tobacco, cardiovascular disease, and infant mortality.
Now, with the launch of the SHIP, Maryland counties will have access to start-up funding and a broad range of tools to set local priorities and mobilize communities against disparities in health. Statewide and local data on the SHIP measures reflecting health disparities are presented below. Local racial and ethnic disparity data will be added as available. The MHHD Office offers technical assistance and disparities data to local jurisdictions to assist with establishing health disparities interventions that measurably reduce disparities. The Maryland Health Disparities Collaborative chaired by DHMH Secretary Sharfstein and Ms. Donna Jacobs, Senior Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs, University of Maryland Medical System and staffed by MHHD, partners with stakeholders and a cross section of community organizations to implement a Health Equity Action Agenda.
"Documented disparities exist in the United States between the majority white population and various racial and ethnic minority populations on several health and health care indicators, including access to and quality of care, disease prevalence, infant mortality, and life expectancy. However, awareness of these disparities—a necessary first step toward changing behavior and compelling action—remains limited." The October 2011 issue of Health Affairs explores health and health care disparities in the United States and proposes solutions to reduce this inequality and eventually close the gap completely.