Centering Health Equity Through the Social Determinants of Health, Interprofessional Education, and Sustainable Partnerships With Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Envisioning Upstream and Downstream Impacts

The social determinants of health (SDOH) framework identifies barriers to health care, education, financial stability, and other conditions that exist across socially determined parameters, often to the detriment of Communities of Color. Postsecondary healthcare students must be aware of these disparities. In order to address upstream and downstream healthcare equity, the SDOH framework must be leveraged as a cross-disciplinary curricular innovation to support interprofessional education. Historically Black Colleges and Universities have unrealized potential to develop extraordinary healthcare leaders; partnerships integrating SDOH can be a powerful force to advance health equity in the United States.

No Health Equity Without Diversity: Strengthening Nursing Programs in Historically Black Colleges and Universities

In April 2022, Adtalem Global Education sponsored a virtual summit entitled Advancing Equity in Healthcare, in which several of the authors of this article and other prominent health-care professionals examined the need to diversify the health-care profession. Topics included educational justice and its impact on health care, the business case for transforming and advancing health equity, and addressing systemic inequities and improving health outcomes for historically marginalized persons. The summit inspired the authors to write this paper to advocate for authentic, sustainable partnerships led by Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as a means to diversify nursing leadership and to stem systemic and structural inequities in health care.

Promoting health equity with HBCUs: Breaking away from structural racism

BACKGROUND

The United States continues to be plagued with pervasive health disparities. Leading health and professional organizations acknowledge structural racism as a contributing factor for the lack of a racially diverse nursing workforce particularly those serving in leadership roles which could help to mitigate health disparities among historically stigmatized populations.

PURPOSE

Purpose Lack of funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and lack of meaningful partnerships, stymie efforts that can be made by nursing programs at HBCUs.

DISCUSSION

Discussion This position paper examines collaborative actions that can address upstream factors that perpetuate healthcare disparities through deep engagement between the policymakers, professional associations, industry, and educational institutions.

METHODS

Faculty representing HBCU's and predominately White institutions, professional organizations, and staff met via videoconference to refine the focus of the paper, determine topic areas for writing teams, and refine details which occurred during weekly meetings.

CONCLUSION

To disengage from structural racism, three critical recommendations are amplified with associated examples.