Black mothers matter. How can we better protect their lives?
The United States has the worst maternal mortality rate amongst high-income nations - and it’s getting worse. More
The lasting impact of hospital segregation
What drives hospital segregation and how can we combat this trend? More
Upping our social investments for health
Can doctors "prescribe" social supports like financial assistance to improve health? More
Kansas City hospital care ranked 3rd most segregated, St. Louis ranks 2nd: report
In St. Louis and Kansas City, the vast majority of their hospitals land at the extremes of our inclusivity scale,” said Vikas Saini. “Some are super over-serving, if you will, black and Hispanic and poor populations, and others are really under-serving, and there are not many that are kind of in the middle.” Saini said in order to have fair, quality and equitable health care for everybody, we have to change the way we organize and pay for hospital care. “It can’t be this kind of market competition, revenue-seeking model,” he said. Saini said he dreams of a health care system where hospitals are given a budget to care for an entire community, rather than on a patient-by-patient basis. More
Lown Institute: Hospitals across 15 major cities deliver high racially segregated care
A new report found that hospitals in 15 large U.S. cities — led by Detroit and St. Louis — were highly segregated, but care for COVID-19 was more equitable. “Hospitals deserve praise for stepping up to the plate and being more inclusive during COVID, but we need them to be more inclusive all the time,” said Saini in a statement. More
10 most segregated hospital markets
Metro Detroit hospitals the most racially segregated in the U.S., study says
Hospital Populations Do Not Reflect Communities, Imperil Health Equity
Some 50 percent of hospitals in the United States are racially segregated, meaning the patient populations they serve do not reflect the demographics of their communities, according to the latest analysis from healthcare thinktank Lown Institute which was emailed to journalists. This imperils national efforts for addressing health equity. More
PRESS RELEASE: America’s most segregated hospital markets are Detroit, St. Louis, Kansas City
Lown Institute Analysis Shows Hospitals Are More Equitable When Caring for COVID Patients. More
Racism impacts health – how do we account for it?
Why is it equitable to take race into account in healthcare in some cases but not others? The answer lies in the distinction between race and racism. More
Racial inclusivity in Covid
Join us March 17 at 1pm as we announce the most racially inclusive hospitals in America, and discuss the impact of Covid on hospital inclusivity. More
Lessons from Lown: Crisis at the Nobel Prize conference
On December 9, 1985, Dr. Bernard Lown and Dr. Yevgeni Chazov were about to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, for their work uniting doctors against nuclear war. Lown and Chazov had no idea they would be saving a life that day. More
Taking action on maternal health
The White House recently announced their first Maternal Health Day of Action. We take a look at what's in the plan, what's promising, and what's missing... More
Uncovering health disparities by race, ethnicity, and education
Recent research on racial and socioeconomic health disparities shows how far we still have to go to have better health for all. More
How we achieve equal access to pharmaceutical treatment
Research shows that people of color are more likely to experience underuse of needed medications. How do we achieve equity in access to affordable, high-quality medications? More
Digital redlining: How telehealth can exacerbate inequalities
The rapid switch to telehealth has many potential advantages for expanding access of care. However, if not done with an intentional eye toward equity, telehealth can leave many behind. More
Overcoming Covid-19 disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native communities
For Indigenous People's Day, we're sharing how American Indian and Alaska Native communities' experiences with Covid-19 highlight both the struggles and the accomplishments toward reducing health disparities. More
Can clinical guidelines fix racial health disparities?
Racial disparities in the incidence and outcomes of chronic kidney disease create significant public health problems. A new study shows that we have to tackle both the medical and the social factors to close this health gap. More
Racist redlining policies still have an impact on health
Can a policy that was outlawed more than 50 years ago still have an impact today? A recent study on health disparities among residents of formerly "redlined" communities shows the importance of taking a historical view of health equity issues. More
Infant health disparities won’t be fixed with genetic sequencing
Should we even be investing in genetic sequencing for newborns when there is are crises in infant and maternal health that need our attention? More