New North Carolina Health Disparities Report Highlights Disparities Between Marginalized Groups

On September 18th the NNorth Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Ppublished the Health Disparities Analysis Report 2024.

The report’s key category findings included African Americans/Blacks, Native Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans, and people with disabilities found They have less access to health care than whites and people without disabilities. These populations were also found have higher rates of chronic disease and death.

The report analyzes health disparities in several countries Population groups: Race and ethnicity, disability status, socioeconomic status, geography and age.

Health inequalities exist identified in six categories: social drivers of health; access to healthcare; chronic illness, communicable disease; mental health, substance abuse, and suicide and violence prevention; and health across the entire lifespan.

Executive Director of the American Public Health Association Georges Benjamin satID 80 percent of what makes a person healthy happens outside of the doctor’s office.

“There are several things that lead to health disparities,” Benjamin said. “First, access to care. Second: Differences in the quality of care in health care. Thirdly, there are differences in health behavior, in the things we do to be healthy, and the fourth factor is social determinants.”

Vaile Wright, senior director of the Office of Healthcare Innovation on American Psychological Association, SHelp Certain communities still face a lot of stigma when it comes to their emotional well-being.

“And for good reason, because the health care system has not always done a good job with certain, particularly racial and ethnic communities,” she saysHelp.