Critical MASS - Why Eliminate Health Disparities?


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Why Eliminate Health Disparities?

The burden of illness and early death experienced by Blacks, Hispanics, American Indian, and Alaska Natives & Asian Pacific Islanders* is greater than that of the US population as a whole. Access to health care can be difficult for white people, especially those who are poor and rural, as for members of minority groups. However, a higher proportion of racial and ethnic minorities are represented among the medically underserved.

In Massachusetts*:

The infant mortality rate (IMR) for MA is 4.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Blacks have the highest (IMR) followed by Hispanics. The Black IMR is 2.3 times that of the state, and the Hispanic IMR is 1.4 times that of the state.
Blacks followed by Hispanics, had the highest hypertension hospitalization rates for any race or ethnicity group at 176 and 89 discharges per 100,000 population age-adjusted for 2003-2005.
HIV/AIDS mortality rates are highest in Blacks followed by Hispanics for any race or ethnicity group at 16 and 13 deaths per 100,000 per 100,000 population age-adjusted for 2003-2005, which, for Blacks is 5.3 times the state average, and for Hispanics, it is 4.3 times the state average.
Black followed by Hispanics had the highest firearm-related emergency department visit rates for any race or ethnicity group at 36 and 19 visits per 100,000 visits for 2003-2005, which, for Black is 5.4 times the state average, and for Hispanics, it is 2.7 times the state average.

* Data/terms for race & ethnicity from the 2007 Health Disparity Report of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), Bureau of Health Information, Statistics, Research, & Evaluation, Division of Research & Epidemiology.