Dawn Mandile and Dylan Azadi represented Trexin in attending “Closing the Health Equity Gap” hosted by Health News Illinois on June 22nd. The event highlighted what organizations, lawmakers, and community members are doing to address inequities in healthcare, as well as opportunities to expand existing programs and services to underserved populations.

Panelists:

• Dr. Omar Lateef – CEO, Rush University Medical Center
• Shannon Andrews – Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, Cook County Health
• Rep. LaToya Greenwood – (D), East St. Louis
• Ayesha Jaco – Executive Director, West Side United
• Theresa Eagleson – Director, Department of Healthcare and Family Services

Sponsor Representative:

• Lisa Harries – AVP, Health Equity and Policy, Illinois Health and Hospital Association

Highlights:

• The COVID-19 pandemic uncovered significant inequities in our healthcare system and brought them to the forefront
• Structural financial barriers exist to solving this problem; for example, combating health inequity inherently causes a health system to lose money
  • “Doing what’s right paralyzes healthcare” – Dr. Omar Lateef
• Telehealth has come a long way in expanding healthcare access to underserved communities, but it is only part of the solution and not a solution itself
• Local and regional elected officials are enacting change by passing new legislation, such as the Equity and Representation in Health Care Act, and funding grants and scholarships aimed at attracting more racial and ethnic minorities into healthcare provider positions, while also addressing burnout and attrition
• Local and regional non-profits are taking action at the ground level by establishing racial equity rapid response teams and healthy zones
• Much work remains to be done in this space, and experts are concerned that public advocacy and institutional support may already be losing steam

Trexin provides a full-scale health equity program design and implementation, compartmentalized to support your business regardless of your current stage. To learn more, please visit:

Health Equity Practice Area