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Cross-Cutting Issues

Summit planners identified three key "cross-cutting" issues and five strategies that influence efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health. These issues and strategies were highlighted in plenary sessions and concurrent workshops. Summit organizers encouraged other issues to be brought into the discussion during presentations on successful efforts, barriers, and potential solutions to those barriers. These issues reflected the Summit's theme of closing the health gap, together, by focusing on the need to work across communities and areas of concern.

  • Access to Care

    Access to health care has been identified as a major barrier to eliminating disparities in health for racial and ethnic communities. Inability to pay is the greatest barrier to accessing health care — whether in terms of direct payment of health services, or directly purchasing health insurance. Among the employed, participating in employer-sponsored coverage is often not a choice. Other barriers to accessing quality health care include not having a regular doctor, unequal treatment with respect to preventive and specialty care, lack of adequate transportation, language interpretation, and culturally appropriate services.

  • Health Providers

    Health providers play a critical role in delivering services to racial and ethnic communities, and are often the first point of contact for individuals seeking care and treatment. Ensuring that health professionals are available, properly trained, culturally competent and reflective of the communities they serve can have an important impact on health care delivery and quality. Workshops focused on the role of minority health professionals and providers, identifying the training and support needs of health professionals and providers, and on issues such as cultural competency, training, financing, and increasing representation of minorities in the health professions.

  • Data

    The role of data in developing, implementing and evaluating programs cannot be over-stressed. More and more, funders and clients are asking for proof that our efforts are having an impact. Data are used to justify programs, to make adjustments to programs as they are being implemented, and for evaluation on an ongoing basis. Data are also used to show trends and identify gaps. Workshops focused on the role that data plays in our efforts to eliminate disparities from both a policy and programmatic view, with sessions focusing on identifying resources, understanding data, using data for programming purposes, and using data to state your case for action.

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    Date: July 10-12, 2002

    Location: Hilton Hotel & Towers, Washington, DC

    Sponsor: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health / Office of Public Health and Science