Center targets racial gap in health care
By Jessica Fargen
Tuesday, July 26, 2005 - Updated: 12:12 AM EST
Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital say staff at their new, one-of-a-kind research center will do more than just study why minorities receive lower quality health care than whites, they'll try to reverse that long-standing trend.
The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, funded in part by $3 million from Partners HealthCare and MGH, aims to eliminate racial and ethnic gaps in health care.
For example, staff could work with insurers to assist minorities with diabetes, said Joseph Betancourt, the center's director.
Minorities suffer much more than whites from diabetes-related deaths, he said.
``There's a lot more we could be doing as a health-care system to eliminate those disparities,'' said Betancourt, an MGH doctor.
Legislators, Partners and MGH will formally announce the creation of the center today, although it is already up and running with four full-time experts.
Betancourt believes it is the only such center in the country, although many institutions do research on the subject.
``It's the only one that's going to be working hand-in-hand with key health-care stakeholders,'' he said. ``We hope to bring all the research into action.''
Staff will work with hospitals, doctors, insurers, community health centers, schools and governments in Massachusetts and around the country.
Already, they partnered with the state of Delaware, the Boston Public Health Commission and Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation.
Three years ago, the national Institute of Medicine released a report that outlined racial disparities in health care given to minority and white patients.
jfargen@bostonherald.com
| | |
