There's much to follow on the current health equity radar, from advancement of the HHS’s Equity Action Plan to concerning data validating the high incidence of discrimination by the health workforce toward patients. The onset of stress and vicarious trauma for staff witnessing these events was also identified. Each of these actions will provide pause to even the most seasoned health equity warrior.

Use of the term “compliance” instead of “adherence” by healthcare regulatory entities and organizations, plus practitioners, health systems and their and employees condones the blaming of patients for poor outcomes. It’s time to change this practice!

Successful health equity strategies must be inclusive, and focus on all marginalized and minoritized persons and their communities. Any lesser view will continue to yield a faulty health equity equation.

The face of the current health and behavioral health workforce fails to mirror the workforce it cares for. The recent SCOTUS decision will only further negate cross-sector efforts to attract, admit, train and, sustain the inclusive workforce patients need. What must happen to mitigate this massive gap in care?

My recent travels reminded me how much satisfaction can be gained by advocacy on behalf of a larger group of individuals

This Part 2 post continues exploring the pervasive Wholistic Health Equity Determinants (WHED) that impact the LGBTQIA++ community. Focus is on the rising incidence of trauma and mental health conditions across the community and the expanding advocacy, funding, as well as resources to mitigate the WHED.

Too little emphasis has historically been placed on this population’s challenges in addressing these determinants, as in accessing quality concordant health and behavioral health care, managing their psychosocial health and reflective resource needs, and activating action to mitigate their abysmal health outcomes. Systemic racism further perpetuates each of these disparities, triggers trauma that activates physical illness, while also compromising individual safety. Time to shift this trend!

Systemic racism has long been attributed to standardized tests across education levels, academic programs, and professional licensure. The ASWB’s report on exam passage rates revealed large racial and ethnic disparities. How will social work ensure its professional path is not laden with the same disparities and obstacles faced by populations served by the profession itself?

Providers, practitioners, patients, and their supports have long dealt with public scrutiny over the decision to terminate an unintended, unviable, if not potentially life-threatening pregnancy. Yet, amid the post-Roe v. Wade era, it has become tougher to receive and render necessary care; a new dimension of trauma is being unleashed for all involved.

Amid my concern of the massive societal impact from overturning Roe v. Wade, lies the intersection of this decision’s havoc with every iteration of trauma.

We are beyond burnout. 213 mass shootings in 2022 has only heightened the need for Interprofessional advocacy, as well as support.

Change is long overdue for this massive maternal health chasm of wholistic health disparities, transcending physical, behavioral, and psychosocial health, and particularly for women of color (WOC)

Abundant data on wholistic health disparities mandates intentional, sustainable quality improvement action. Will the next generation of metrics account for this reality?

Brain fog has become a common occurrence across age groups. Clear strategies can ease the stress and bust those brain fog symptoms.

Global data emphasizes the impact of chronic and recurrent COVID-waves for front-line physicians and nurses; no doubt these disciplines have endured, and continue to take a powerful hit; >80% ready to leave the industry. Concern exists whether there will be enough practitioners to render care. However, what of other disciplines? Disregard for the health, mental health, and well-being of all members of the workforce is a grave concern.

This article was initially published in RACmonitor and appears with the publisher’s permission The country’s smallest hospitals continue to be in peril, as are the patients who rely on them. This issue continues to be the reality for rural health with major challenges for the patients and providers in those regions. 7.4% of babies born in the US are birthed at hospitals handling 10 to 500 births a year, or “low-volume” hospitals. In the context of our industry’s fiscal focus, that number...

The healthcare workforce is amid a unique epidemic, coping with the ravages of collective occupational trauma . Physicians and nurses have been heavily impacted, but also an endless list of behavioral health professionals (behavioral analysts, counselors, social workers, psychologists), case managers, community health workers, medical assistants, nutritionists, pharmacists, phlebotomists, public health workers, rehabilitation professionals, respiratory therapists, not to mention those...

This article was first published in RACMonitor and appears with explicit permission. Another week, another report on Americans facing concerning access to basic human needs. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its annual report, Household Food Security in the United States in 2020 . Data for the report was collected from 34,330 households in December 2020, though at first glance, this is misleading. While 89.5 percent of U.S. households were “food secure” at that...

This article was initially published 9/2/21 in RACmonitor, and appears with explicit permission Significant data already proves increased disease morbidity and mortality for populations who reside in specific ZIP codes. The “ZIP Code Effect” has been associated with variations in neighborhood life expectancy by as much as 33 years ; r esearch has also shown ACEs as major factors to drive health outcomes in these neighborhoods. Research out of Yale University took a new direction, exploring...

This article appears with explicit permission of RACMonitor; a version of this story was published 8/19/21 There was tremendous buzz last week about the U.S. Census report on shifting demographics across the country. Yet the greater concern in the area of the social determinants of health (SDoH) is mitigating prevailing gaps in care. What happens when society’s most vulnerable populations grow due to a pandemic? Just how much trauma can populations endure? Healthcare history was made when...

A version of this article initially appeared in RACmonitor on 8/12/21 and appears with explicit permission of the publisher Over the past year I’ve talked a great deal about health and mental health disparities, an ongoing priority for the industry to address. America’s Health Rankings , published by United Health Foundation, has assessed the health of the nation for well over 30 years. However, for 2021, its authors embarked on a unique journey: to provide a comprehensive and thorough view...

The latest surge in funding for the social determinants of health and mental health reflect populations impacted by trauma.

Legislation and funding to address the SDoH is on the move, much targeting programs and reimbursement for populations exposed to trauma.

Last month’s CDC declaration that Racism is a public health crisis was long overdue. Yet, vital health and mental health disparities for women of color rage on amid this latest societal call to arms. Too many women of color, their families, and friends lay victim to gaping wounds, residual scars, and profound trauma from egregious maternal health experiences. Current facts speak volumes. The U.S. has the highest rate of maternal mortality among developed nations, rising steadily the past 40...

This article first appeared in RACMonitor News on 2/25/21 and published with explicit permission Amid last week’s hottest reports, was new data from the National Center for Health Statistics . It was expected COVID-19 would dramatically impact life expectancy across populations, but the data for those persons most vulnerable remains alarming. The first six months of 2020 revealed life expectancy for the U.S. population dropped by on average of one year. Life expectancy at birth was 77.8...

The pandemic has hit its one year milestone. The mental health of the health and behavioral health workforce is among the loudest adverse effects of these times. Life and the healthcare industry are fraught with stress; these dynamics are not new. But the horrific events of this year have eclipsed in a new dimension of trauma for every discipline to contend with. New Dimensions of Trauma Collective occupational trauma (Fink-Samnick, 2020) is front and center. In this space, practitioners,...

This article published with permission of RACMonitor, and first appeared in RACMonitor News on 2/18/21. COVID-19 vaccine distribution has prompted headache across the states. However, older adults have been especially challenged with access. Those older adults who “have less” in the form of economic and/or health limitations, as well as family and peer support are struggling. For those persons who have experienced historical and other types of trauma, these disparities will further impact...

This article originally appeared on RACMonitor News 2/10/21 “Permission to republish this article was granted by RACmonitor“ It’s just February, but a steady stream of reports and surveys touting the top social determinants of health (SDoH) and mental health (SDoMH) for 2021 have already begun to appear. First up is the 2021 Consumer Sentiments and Insights Survey by The Root Cause Coalition , an organization co-founded by AARP Foundation and ProMedica. The survey was conducted online last...

The pandemic has forced professionals and their organizations to practice without a relevant playbook. Reactive attention to suffering for high volumes of critically ill patients many with limited chance of survival, have replaced proactive dialogues on pain relief, symptom management, and quality of life. Trauma-informed practices have never been more vital to understand and render across populations.

The five domains of the social determinants of health (SDoH) were recently updated for Healthy People 2030 (HP 2030) (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2020): Economic stability Education access and quality Health access and quality Neighborhood and built environment, and Social and community content I reviewed the revised language of each domain with excitement. It was impressive to see the key terms, "access" and "quality", added to the education and health domains. These terms...

Systematic racism is at the core of mental health disparities and social determinants of mental health (SDoMH).Upstream factors obstruct patient access to needed and appropriate assessment, timely intervention, with treatment for these populations often reflecting poorer quality, and ending prior to completion of treatment. COVID-19 and the recent pandemic have only amplified meso and micro-level gaps in care. considered, provided, and reimbursed.

Mental health disparities, are as much a public health issue as racism itself, which is affirmed in over 20 states, 700 counties, and rising). The gaps in culturally-informed and inclusive treatment providers and interventions must also be mitigated. Defining the Social Determinants of Mental Health (SDoMH) is an unparalleled opportunity for integrated and wholistic health care models moving forward, plus all behavioral health professionals