Health Disparities Collaboratives

Mission

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The Collaboratives are the outcome of President Clinton's Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Initiative, which set high national health goals for all Americans, ending a practice of separate, lower objectives for racial and ethnic minorities. The Collaboratives result from the Initiative's goal to ". . . delay or decrease the complications of chronic disease by excelling in patient self-management, clinical decision support, positive delivery system re-design, clinical information systems, and strong partnerships with local and community organizations." A summary of this initiative is available at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/1998pres/980221.html .

A major goal in our country is to eliminate health disparities for different minority populations, poor people, and in some cases for women. Disparities lead to differences in death rates from heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, as the four top killers in this country, as well as other illnesses. To eliminate health disparities and improve functional and clinical outcomes, health care organizations must change the way they deliver care. The Health Disparities Collaboratives call for such a change -- a transformation in the delivery of care. The transformation affects how:

providers such as doctors, dentists, social workers, and nurses deliver care;
patients understand and participate in managing their own care; and
communities learn to strengthen the provider-patient partnership.

The Collaboratives strive to achieve excellence in practice through the following mission and goals:

Generate and document improved health outcomes for underserved populations;
Transform clinical practice through models of care, improvement and learning;
Develop infrastructure, expertise and multi-disciplinary leadership to support and drive improved health status, access and cost outcomes;
Build strategic partnerships; and
Transfer knowledge about how to promote breakthrough changes.