St. Louis-based Ascension became one of 141 participants in the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities, an initiative aiming to eradicate hunger, enhance nutrition and boost physical activity levels by 2030.

An interactive online tool that enables healthcare organizations and policymakers to benchmark health equity efforts is now live. 

At ChristianaCare, Black patients are receiving stronger outcomes than national averages for hypertension and heart failure care. 

Hospital-at-home programs can offer significant advantages for both patients and health systems, including lower costs and better outcomes. However, there is a noticeable lack of discussion surrounding health equity issues associated with the care model, Shanina Knighton, PhD, RN, wrote in a Feb. 17 op-ed for Medpage Today.

UChicago Medicine has unveiled a new center dedicated to combating inequities in cancer prevention and care delivery. The move comes as cancer incidence rates on Chicago's South Side, where the academic health system's flagship medical center is located, are expected to jump 12% in the next decade. 

Black and Hispanic children are more likely to experience safety events than white children, a new study found.

The CDC Foundation announced the creation of an endowed scholarship specifically to support the descendants of the 625 Black men who were denied syphilis treatment in the Tuskegee, Ala. Study of Untreated Syphilis between 1932 and 1972.

New York City-based NYU Langone Health, Los Angeles-based UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, and Montefiore Health System announced a $13 million pledge from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to establish a hub for diabetes equity research, according to a Feb. 6 news release.

The FDA is convening a panel of experts to determine a better way to evaluate pulse oximeter readings so that they provide more accurate data for patients of color, the agency announced Feb. 2.

Ohio has become the second state in the nation to ban gender-affirming care for minors after lawmakers voted Jan. 24 to override a veto by Gov. Mike DeWine in December, The Washington Post reported.

From board education on health equity to ensuring the development and strengthening of community partnerships, the American Hospital Association released some tips and tricks to help hospital and health system board members prioritize health equity.

As part of its effort to advance screening for social needs, NYC Health + Hospitals has adopted a new tool into its EMR that connects patients with community resources. 

Increasing access to care has become a key focus for many healthcare executives in recent years, including Dalton Douglas, vice president of business intelligence and population health at Lone Star Circle of Care.

Although the healthcare industry is constantly evolving to enhance patient care, large-scale changes are still lacking, according to Joyal Pavey, vice president of the advisory group and the John F. Butzer Center for Research & Innovation at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Bucking the norm, New York City-based Montefiore has opted to directly employ and embed community health workers within its clinical teams to connect patients with social services as part of broader efforts to address social determinants of health. Now, the system is taking this work one step further by ramping up community health worker training. 

Healthcare executives have a lot to juggle and prioritize headed into 2024 as pressures and challenges continue to push on the industry. 

As part of its 50th anniversary, The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety will supplement its regular monthly issues in 2024 with additional article collections focused on top challenges in healthcare. The first issue was published Jan. 4 and features original articles, review articles and reports aimed at supporting hospitals and health systems in taking a "systems-based" approach to health equity. 

Advanced provision requests for abortion pills have skyrocketed since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, The New York Times reported Jan. 2. 

When it comes to maternal health disparities, Sarosh Rana, MD, believes it's time for institutions to walk the talk. 

For Hollywood, Fla.-based Memorial Healthcare System, 2023 saw transformative changes brought on by embracing a comprehensive approach to address health equity and social determinants of health.