What Is Health Equity, and Why Does It Matter?

© 2021 Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

David R. Williams, Professor of Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has been researching health inequities in the United States for two decades. In this video, he sits down with Don Berwick, MD, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at IHI, to talk about health equity and why it’s important.

[malachihooper]

Very insightful Interview! Working on a research paper on Health Inequality and Health Status...Great source! Thanks.

[wellbodisalone]

Health equity is about fair achievement of good health and well-being.

[cbr]

I found this brief segment fascinating, particularly because it was posted seven years ago (2015ish). A bit ahead of its time it would seem, at least in terms of popularity and momentum.

Fascination aside, it concerns me that this topic might be driven more by opinion than fact. For example, the interviewee himself communicated a personal example of heath inequity but merely described a nurse as "failing" to take a critical action.

Failing to do something is not inequable unless it is motivated, in whole or in part, by a sense of superiority or desire to not take action based on who someone is (e.g., African American or Latino).

My point here is how necessary and.important it is to confirm and communicate the cause of the inequity. If that is not done, then the health equity movement will be nothing more than a movement of opinion instead of fact.

Just my two cents.

[charlesdonato]

Very great and I need to understand more

[shirleypina]

How is this matter being handled now in 2019?