Nationally and locally the gap in health status between minority populations and Caucasian populations has remained unchanged and in some cases has widened.  Local data bear this out for African American and Caucasian populations in Franklin County. Differences are seen by race for a variety of community health measures, such as health status, access to health care, and some health risk behaviors. 

Racial Health Disparities in Columbus (pdf).

Healthcare providers can play a significant role in the reduction of racial and ethnic health and health care disparity through the provision of quality care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate. 

Reports

• Guidance for the National Health Care Disparities Report, 2002
• National Healthcare Disparities Report
• Speaking of Health: Assessing Health Communication Strategies for Diverse Populations, 2002
• Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare, 2002

Resources

Addressing Disparity in Health and Health Care for Racial and Ethnic Minorities: An Organizational Internal Assessment
Information about an internal assessment conducted at Columbus Public Health. This assessment was designed to look at the department’s efforts in the delivery of care to racial and ethnic minority populations.

Cultural Competence in Health Care

Language Interpretation Requirements for Healthcare Providers:
Federal Register for Policy Guidance on services to Limited English Proficiency (LEP) customers (Volume #65, page #52762).

Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (C.L.A.S.) in Healthcare: The C.L.A.S. standards is an organizational tool designed to assure that health services are provided to all racial/ethnic populations inclusive of populations that do not speak the English language.