New Report: Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions

Posted by on November 19, 2004

[posted from Community Campus Partnerships for Health newsletter]

LACK OF DIVERSITY MAY BE GREATER CAUSE OF HEALTH DISPARITIES THAN NOT HAVING INSURANCE, FINDS SULLIVAN COMMISSION

A lack of diversity among healthcare professionals is placing the health of at least one-third of the nation at risk. This fact was among findings announced by the Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce in its September 2004 report, Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions. ?Access to health professions remains largely separate and unequal,? said Commission Chair Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. ?We know that minority physicians, dentists and nurses are more likely to serve minority and medically underserved populations, yet there is a severe shortage of minorities in the health professions. Without much more diversity in the health workforce, minorities will continue to suffer.?

From cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS to diabetes and mental health, African Americans, Hispanic Americans and American Indians tend to receive less and lower quality health care than whites, contributing to higher mortality rates. The consequences of health disparities resulting from the lack of an adequately diverse and trained workforce may be as great a problem for minorities as is the lack of health insurance for more than 44 million Americans. ?The condition of the nation?s health professions workforce is critical and demands swift, large-scale change to protect the future of the nation. Transforming the system will require changing the face of the American healthcare system,? the report states. The 16-member Commission calls for a new vision for healthcare focusing on excellence and ensuring high-quality care for all. Three overlying principles are central to the Commission?s findings.

To read the full report, visit http://admissions.duhs.duke.edu/sullivancommission/index.cfm