Healthcare leaders from 32 organizations in seven states have joined forces to tackle health disparities among minority aging populations.
The newly developed collaborative, announced in July, is dubbed the Leaders in Equity and Diversity Collaborative. It is spearheaded by Hagerstown, Md.-based Meritus Health, Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center in Lanham, Md., and Advancing Synergy. Overall, 32 organizations, including AARP, have signed on as part of the initiative.
This month, leaders with the initiative gathered in Hagerstown to discuss the initiative, according to an Oct. 26 news release.
"It is work that isn't an option, or something that can be ignored," Meritus Health President and CEO Maulik Joshi, DrPH, said during the gathering, according to the release.
"I tend to go back to Vice President Hubert Humphrey's quote, 'The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped,'" Dr. Joshi said.
As part of its focus on reducing disparities, the collaborative also aims to address social determinants of health and increase diversity of leadership.
The group has pledged to share best practices and implement action steps that reduce disparities by 2024, according to the release.
More information is available here.