Menino on racial health disparities

Thomas M. Menino

Last week, the Boston Public Health Commission released a report on groundbreaking efforts the city has been taking to end racial and ethnic disparities in health. The report highlights progress made by hospitals, community health centers, community organizations and educational institutions in several key areas outlined by my Task Force to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in 2005. Ending racial and ethnic health disparities is one of the eight priorities of my administration.

In all, 33 programs received grants to implement key recommendations from my Task Force Blueprint and to develop innovative solutions to help address inequities in health in communities of color. I am pleased that this report is not just another study documenting the problem of health disparities, but rather one that highlights some important work being done on the local level to help solve the problem. We know that we have a long way to go, but this is a start and we will learn from the experience of the first year projects as we move forward with our efforts in Boston.

Considerable progress was made in improving the ability of government and health institutions to measure health disparities, including a first-in-the-nation local regulation mandating and standardizing data collection to help improve quality. Boston’s regulation, passed in 2005, became the model for similar regulations on the state level.

Progress was also made in programs designed to diversify the health care workforce, and educating health and public health workers about the importance of cultural competency. Funded projects included “bridge programs” organized in collaboration with community colleges and the Boston Public Schools, and an assessment for replicating a college-through-medical school program targeted at students of color. Organizations funded by the grant also designed innovative “patient navigation” initiatives to help guide patients through the health care system and improve health outcomes.

I would also like to give special thanks to organizations that are helping to fund the Disparities Project in Boston. Those organizations include: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; The Boston Foundation; Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Copies of the report on Year One of Boston’s Disparities Project will be available on the Boston Public Health Commission’s Web site at www.bphc.org.

While we are talking about the progress made in reducing health disparities in Boston, I must take a moment to praise the work of my former executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, John Auerbach. John was a prized member of my staff for close to 10 years. He served Boston’s residents with honor and distinction and played a major role in Boston’s overwhelming task to end healthcare disparities in our city. He will be difficult to replace and Gov. Deval Patrick is lucky to have John on his team as his new Commissioner of Public Health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Thomas M. Menino is the mayor of the City of Boston. He has been a leader in the fight against racial health disparities.