Health Affairs article examines role of health equity officers

About 50% of hospital-equity officer survey respondents reported at least some obstacles to achieving their health equity objectives, according to a Health Affairs article. Obstacles included racist beliefs among people working in hospitals, policies perpetuating racism and a lack of staff diversity. Some hospitals are addressing these challenges by collecting information about instances of racism, reviewing clinical algorithms for evidence of bias or convening community partnerships. The mixed-methods study examined hospital equity officers’ roles and actions to address leading factors contributing to health care disparities, including structural racism. The October article is part of a special issue on tackling structural racism in health care.