Applying a Health Equity Lens to Evaluate and Inform Policy

Abstract

Health disparities have persisted despite decades of efforts to eliminate them at the national, regional, state and local levels. Policies have been a driving force in creat­ing and exacerbating health disparities, but they can also play a major role in eliminat­ing disparities. Research evidence and input from affected community-level stakeholders are critical components of evidence-based health policy that will advance health equi­ty. The Transdisciplinary Collaborative Cen­ter (TCC) for Health Disparities Research at Morehouse School of Medicine consists of five subprojects focused on studying and informing health equity policy related to maternal-child health, mental health, health information technology, diabetes, and leadership/workforce development. This article describes a “health equity lens” as defined, operationalized and applied by the TCC to inform health policy development, implementation, and analysis. Prioritizing health equity in laws and organizational policies provides an upstream foundation for ensuring that the laws are implemented at the midstream and downstream lev­els to advance health equity. Ethn Dis. 2019;29(Suppl 2):329-342; doi:10.18865/ed.29.S2.329.

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“…9 However, absent an explicit recognition of how structural barriers such as racism, residential segregation, immigrant policies, and economic opportunities influence health, policies can actually create or exacerbate health inequities. 10 Take COVID-19 as an example. Preliminary evidence suggests that some wealthier neighborhoods in the nation showed high rates of testing, likely due to increased access among more privileged individuals and not necessarily because of increased exposure or infection.…”

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