HELEN News

Data and Technology Can Help Us Make Progress on COVID Inequities The pandemic gives an opportunity to turn the tide for our nation’s most vulnerable communities By Daniel E. Dawes, Karen DeSalvo on March 27, 2021 ​ Credit: Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest chapter in the “Tale of Two Health Systems” saga that has played out in the U.S. during every public health crisis dating back centuries. The pandemic has disproportionately devastated communities of color, proving that we can no longer ignore the need to address health inequities in a real way. This threat is so existential in nature that according to a recent CDC…

SAVE THE DATE Please join the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine in their upcoming Health Equity Tracker Launch Event taking place on Thursday, April 29, 2021 from 1-2:30 PM EST. HEALTHEQUITYTRACKER.ORG The vision of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute is to be the leading transformational force for health equity. The mission of SHLI is to create systemic change at the intersection of policy and equity. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SHLI has collaborated with Google.org to develop and design HealthEquityTracker.org, a public facing data platform that goes beyond showing the disparate impact of the coronavirus, usable by any and all that…

The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) is very concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities and has launched a cross disability survey to look at vaccine hesitancy and access challenges people with disabilities are encountering. The objective of the  COVID-19 and Vaccine Survey for Adults with Disabilities is to better understand the reasons adults with disabilities have or will take the vaccine, are not sure about taking the vaccine, or have decided not to take the vaccine.  This information will be shared with the disability community, health and public health professionals, policymakers, and researchers.  The survey will be open…

CHICAGO — The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) at Morehouse School of Medicine today announced a collaborative educational initiative to empower physician-led advocacy that advances equity and removes barriers to optimal health for marginalized people and communities. Under the mentorship of renowned multidisciplinary health equity experts, the new Medical Justice in Advocacy post-doctoral fellowship program will annually convene and train 10 physicians desiring greater knowledge and skills in confronting the root causes of inequity in communities across the country. The fellowship will mobilize physicians to be part of…

Use of Clinical Algorithms That Have the Potential To Introduce Racial/Ethnic Bias Into Healthcare Delivery (Open for submission until 11:59 p.m. ET on April 16, 2021) The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking information from the public on clinical algorithms that are used or recommended in medical practice and any evidence on clinical algorithms that may introduce bias into clinical decision making and/or influence access to care, quality of care, or health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities and people who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.