Forty-Nine Diverse Organizations Publish Open Letter to Congress and President Biden Outlining Guidelines to Advance Healthy Equity

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Today, the Health Equity Collaborative (HEC) united a diverse community of dozens of national, public health, patient advocacy, civil rights, and multicultural organizations to deliver an open letter to the 118^th Congress and President Joe Biden outlining a shared set of guidelines for advancing health equity. Now in its third edition, HEC has previously sent Health Equity Guidelines to the 116^th and 117^th Congresses. 

The letter aims to call attention to the challenges faced by underserved populations across the nation and to mobilize policymakers and healthcare stakeholders to combat existing disparities. 

Seventeen new organizations joined the open letter this year. The growing number of signers illustrates an overwhelming commitment by the collective group to overcome economic, social, and other obstacles to better health and healthcare.

"As our organizations continue to convene discussions on health equity, these guidelines help provide a starting place for carefully examining the policies and processes needed to make progress," said Kevin Kimble, founder and Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Global Policy Initiative.

The new letter identifies eight topline priorities to combat health inequities:

• Confront the Rising Cost of Healthcare
• Improve Access to Quality Healthcare Among Vulnerable Populations
• Support Breakthrough Medical Technologies and Innovation
• Reduce Health Disparities
• Modernize Value-Based Treatment and Clinical Care
• Address the Underrepresentation of Diverse Communities in Clinical Trials and Data Collection
• Promote a Diverse Healthcare Workforce
• Improve Access to Addiction Care and Safe Medicines

"We want to send a clear message to Congress and President Biden that health inequity remains a top priority and we want to continue working collaboratively to improve health and access to care for all populations. Our recommendations represent actionable items that this growing community of organizations is committed to supporting," said Amy Hinojosa, President and CEO of MANA, A National Latina Organization.

In the months ahead, the Health Equity Collaborative will continue to publish new research and lead discussions with key healthcare stakeholders about realizing progress for diverse communities. 

Read the full letter HERE.

To learn more about the Health Equity Collaborative, please visit our website at https://healthequitycollaborative.org/. 

For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].    

Source: Healthy Equity Collaborative