383,000 uninsured Oregonians, and thousands of working families who are under-insured and lack access to culturally competent healthcare. OHEA’s A Healthy Oregon: 21st Century Health Equity Priorities report provides a roadmap to key priorities that, with critical new investments, will improve outcomes and health equity in Oregon.

by | Sep 23, 2016 | Blog, Learn |

Oregon Health Equity Alliance Releases A Healthy Oregon: 21st Century Health Equity Investments Report

Oregon currently ranks 31 in state public health funding, 21% below the median state. Too many Oregonians are sick and die prematurely due to preventable disease. The time is now to close the gap on persistent and historic health disparities. That is according to a report (A Healthy Oregon: 21st Century Health Equity Investments Report) released today by the Oregon Health Equity Alliance (OHEA), which provides a roadmap to key priorities that, with critical new investments. The OHEA A Healthy Oregon: 21st Century Health Equity Investments report noted that 13.5% of Native Americans and 22.5% African Americans adults in Oregon have diabetes compared to 7.4% of white adults. Chronic disease, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, is the leading cause of death in Oregon.

 

Key Findings:

  • Fourteen of fifteen studies in a recent systematic review article found evidence that health care professionals are biased against People of Color
  • Communities of Color are also most at risk of living in subpar housing, experience discrimination, feel unsafe in their homes and neighborhoods, experience crippling poverty, homelessness and overcrowding
  • In Oregon 17,600 children are categorically excluded from coverage from Health Care for All Oregon Children Act.
  • Every county where Latino residents make up at least 20% of the population is a designated medical provider shortage area.
  • Estimated cost to ensure that Oregonians receive the full range of preventive reproductive health services at zero out-of-pocket cost, fill gaps in reproductive health coverage for those categorically excluded from health programs due to citizenship status, and prohibit discrimination in reproductive health care
  • People with severe mental illness have higher rates of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, suicide and substance abuse. In Oregon, African Americans and Latinos are more likely to report poor mental health status than whites.

 

Read the full PDF Report here

 

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