Report calls for diversifying workforce to reduce health disparities

A report released last week from the National Academy of Medicine concludes a diverse health and science workforce, representative of the communities it serves, is essential to advancing health equity. Studies reveal people of color overall receive improved care when treated by practitioners who look like them. The report explains how structural racism has contributed to poorer health outcomes for minority populations. It offers a series of recommendations health care organizations and the federal government can take to advance health equity, including adjusting payment systems to make health care more affordable. The report recommends health care systems strengthen ties between patients and providers and listen to community voices. It says bias management trainings do not create long-term improvements in minority health outcomes. (MedPage Today article, 6/26/24)