Blogs

General Information

• Recruitment Tips to Advance Rural Board Diversity. When CEOs and board leaders are intentional about governance diversification, it can and does happen. This presents areas for boards and CEOs to recognize as rural board diversification is prioritized. September 2021
• A Conversation with Kimberlydawn Wisdom, M.D. Dr. Wisdom is a remarkable leader who was recently recognized on Modern Healthcare Magazine's list of Top 25 Minority Leaders. March 6, 2020
• A Hospital and a Community Work in Partnership During a Pandemic. In this podcast, Darren Henson, AHA’s director at the Institute for Diversity & Health Equity, explores how despite the COVID-19 outbreak, Loyola University Medical Center – serving the Chicago area – remains committed to its partnership with a community-driven, multi-sector coalition. April 22, 2020
• A Voice for Our Time and for All Times.  MLK Day has become widely celebrated as a day of public service for individuals, communities and organizations. Jan. 15, 2021
• Advancing health equity: creating and sustaining change.  Videos discussing how health care has reached an inflection point in the movement to advance health equity.
• AHA’s IFDHE receives grant to build capacity and address drivers of health inequities. The economic burden associated with health disparities in the U.S. is estimated at $230 billion. Tackling these disparities requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, across systems and disciplines. Jan.29, 2020
• AHA Launches the Health Equity Roadmap-We asked One of Its Architects Why It's a Big Deal
• Applying an Equity Lens to Digital Health. Priya Bathija described the scope of the digital divide in America. May 27, 2021
• Collecting REaL Data to Conquer COVID-19. Elisa Arespacochaga, vice president of the AHA’s Physician Alliance and interim executive lead for the AHA’s Institute for Diversity an Health Equity, talks with two health system chief diversity officers about their efforts to learn more about the patients they are serving through REAL data collection, stratification and utilization. July 8, 2020
• Eight takeaways and observations from last week’s IHI conference. Issues discussed spanned health equity, improvement science, leadership, maternal and child health, mental health and well-being, patient-centered care, population health, safety and more. Dec.  20, 2018
• Exploring opportunities for hospital-led race conversations and changes. Elisa Arespacochaga, vice president of the AHA’s Physician Alliance and interim executive lead for the AHA’s Institute for Diversity an Health Equity, talks with Juana Slade and Anton Gunn about their efforts to learn more about the patients they are serving through REAL data collection, stratification and utilization. Aug. 6, 2020
• Focusing on health equity, diversity and inclusion, The AHA envisions a society of healthy communities, where we all reach our highest potential for health. April 15, 2019
• Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Podcasts. The board's role in advancing health equity strategies. Oct. 27, 2020
• How strategic alliances strengthen health equity, diversity and inclusion advancement. Recognize that there remains significant work ahead to achieve the outcomes we seek, and we cannot do it alone. Our tools, partnerships and initiatives must continue to evolve to help overcome and address the issues of the day. Feb. 22, 2021
• June Pride Month Recognizes Progress, As Struggle for Equality Persists. Despite being early leaders of the movement, many Black and Latinx members of the LGBTQ community continue to face heightened forms of violence and discrimination. June 8, 2021
• Leadership Rounds With Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom.Dr. Estes talking with Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom, Senior Vice President of Community Health & Equity and Chief Wellness & Diversity Officer at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit and Michigan's First Surgeon General about health equity. Oct 16, 2020
• Moving from Diversity to Inclusion. Where we as a field have been and where we’re going, and why this work is so vitally important to not just our workforce, but our patients and communities. June 29, 2018
• New AHA Toolkit Series to Advance Health Equity for All. We are launching the first in a new series of toolkits designed to help hospitals and health systems make progress in advancing their health equity agenda. March 16, 2021
• Sharing Successful Innovations and Lessons Learned to Advance Health Equity. How do hospitals and health systems successfully transition from planning to taking action and creating real cultural change? May 6, 2021

Patient Experience

• Advancing Education and Building Trust to Address COVID-19 in Communities of Color. One of our priorities is to mitigate COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Black, Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native and other diverse populations. Right now, such inequities persist in these populations’ access to COVID-19 vaccines, even as vaccines become more widely available. April 15, 2021
• Addressing inequities in COVID-19 vaccine administration efforts. Resources to help hospitals and health systems address the specific needs of various patient populations to engender trust and empower informed decision-making.
• Advocating for the Asian American Community during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. While tributes and celebrations are important, for those of us in health care, this month is an opportunity to pause and reflect on this diverse community’s health needs – during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. May 24, 202
• Health care leaders discuss unique challenges facing Asian American communities and the path forward,Six prominent health care leaders and advocates for the Asian American community convened May 26 for a virtual panel to discuss a variety of issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact, burnout in the health care workforce, cultural stereotypes and the rising number of violent attacks against Asian Americans in recent months. May 28, 2021
• Health Inequities in Black and Underserved Communities: COVID-19 and The Flu, Elisa Arespacochaga, Interim Executive Lead, Institute for Diversity & Health Equity and Vice President, AHA Physician Alliance, talks with Andrea Custis, President and CEO, Urban League of Philadelphia, about health inequities in Black and underserved communities with a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming flu season. Dec 9, 2020
• Honoring the Significance of Juneteenth. A history-making event that changed the lives of Black Americans more than 150 years ago is now being recognized as a federal holiday. With the stroke of a pen, President Biden signed a bill establishing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day – commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. June 21, 2021
• How health equity impacts outcomes, Health also impacts the economic well-being of our communities. Dec. 11, 2019
• July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month: Best Practices to Help Diverse Communities. July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. In this conversation, Lisa Hinton, Senior Health Equity and Value specialist with the AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, speaks with a faith-based organization leader and two health care experts on ways they are broadening their health system’s approaches to improving community access to mental and behavioral health services in the Greater Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. July 30, 2020

Employee Experience

• A Path to Equity for Rural Health, We inquired about strategies for health equity in rural communities, as well as these communities’ most common areas of disparity or need. Aug. 10, 2020
• Advancing Equity in Partnership with the Medical Staff.  In this conversation, Darren Henson, Director of Operations with the AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, speaks with Laura Vail, Director, Health Equity at Cone Health and Dr. Alvin Powell, Chief Health Equity Officer at Cone Health. Nov. 5, 2020
• Advancing Equity in Partnership with the Medical Staff, In this Advancing Health podcast, we look at Cone Health and how it has pioneered educational sessions for its physicians about social and racial influences in health care. Oct. 6, 2020
• Improving Diversity and Inclusion at the Board Level. The topic of diversity and inclusion in leadership and governance is the focus of the third installment in our Health Equity Resource Series that provides information and compelling strategies to help health care leaders implement changes to advance health equity. June 8, 2021
• Tackling Health Equity: How Boards Can Do It.   Listen in as Maria Hernandez, Ph.D., president and chief operating officer of Impact4Health, and Karma Bass, senior principal at Via Healthcare Consulting, discuss the health equity challenges that board members can expect to encounter and how best to tackle them. June 26, 2020
• Transforming the Approach to Health Equity.This year, in conjunction with National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week (March 22- 26), some communities are launching the Transgender Month of Action for Healthcare Equality. March 9, 2021