At the Intersection of Health, Health Care and Policy Cite this article as: Vatrice A. Perrin Social Determinants Of Health Health Affairs, 32, no.11 (2013):2060 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2013.1102
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Health Affairs is published monthly by Project HOPE at 7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133. Copyright © 2013 by Project HOPE - The People-to-People Health Foundation. As provided by United States copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code), no part of Health Affairs may be reproduced, displayed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or by information storage or retrieval systems, without prior written permission from the Publisher. All rights reserved.
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doi:
10.1377/hlthaff.2013.1102
Social Determinants Of Health
I read with great interest “Black Patients More Likely than Whites to Undergo Surgery at Low-Quality Hospitals in Segregated Regions” (Jun 2013). I commend Justin Dimick and coauthors for providing compelling insights into the role of racial segregation as a social determinant of health. I agree with the authors’ conclusions, and I would like to add that geographical segregation may also influence whether or not other racial or ethnic minority groups receive high-quality health care. 1 Current demographic statistics show that an increasing number of Americans identify themselves as Latino or Hispanic,2 and the authors’ methodology and analysis could be expanded to address
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health inequities among this and other populations. That expansion could influence health policies, which in turn could ensure that every American has adequate access to high-quality care. The continuing diversification of the US population will increase the need to address and eliminate social determinants that result in inequities in health care. Vatrice A. Perrin Morehouse School of Medicine ATLANTA , GEORGIA NOTES 1 Castellanos LR, Normand SL, Ayanian JZ. Racial and ethnic disparities in access to higher and lower quality cardiac surgeons for coronary artery bypass grafting. Am J Cardiol. 2009;103(12): 1682–6. 2 Census Bureau. The Hispanic population: 2010 [Internet]. Washington (DC): Census Bureau; 2011 May [cited 2013 Sep 24]. (2010 Census Brief). Available from: http://www.census.gov/ prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf
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The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is available at: http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/32/11/2060.2.full.html
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Health Affairs is published monthly by Project HOPE at 7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133. Copyright © 2013 by Project HOPE - The People-to-People Health Foundation. As provided by United States copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code), no part of Health Affairs may be reproduced, displayed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or by information storage or retrieval systems, without prior written permission from the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Not for commercial use or unauthorized distribution Downloaded from content.healthaffairs.org by Health Affairs on June 4, 2015 at PURDUE UNIV LIB TSS
Letters There is a limit of 300 words for letters to the editor. Health Affairs reserves the right to edit all letters for clarity, length, and tone. Letters can be submitted by e-mail, [email protected], or the Health Affairs website, http:// www.healthaffairs.org.
doi:
10.1377/hlthaff.2013.1102
Social Determinants Of Health
I read with great interest “Black Patients More Likely than Whites to Undergo Surgery at Low-Quality Hospitals in Segregated Regions” (Jun 2013). I commend Justin Dimick and coauthors for providing compelling insights into the role of racial segregation as a social determinant of health. I agree with the authors’ conclusions, and I would like to add that geographical segregation may also influence whether or not other racial or ethnic minority groups receive high-quality health care. 1 Current demographic statistics show that an increasing number of Americans identify themselves as Latino or Hispanic,2 and the authors’ methodology and analysis could be expanded to address
2060
Health Affai rs
health inequities among this and other populations. That expansion could influence health policies, which in turn could ensure that every American has adequate access to high-quality care. The continuing diversification of the US population will increase the need to address and eliminate social determinants that result in inequities in health care. Vatrice A. Perrin Morehouse School of Medicine ATLANTA , GEORGIA NOTES 1 Castellanos LR, Normand SL, Ayanian JZ. Racial and ethnic disparities in access to higher and lower quality cardiac surgeons for coronary artery bypass grafting. Am J Cardiol. 2009;103(12): 1682–6. 2 Census Bureau. The Hispanic population: 2010 [Internet]. Washington (DC): Census Bureau; 2011 May [cited 2013 Sep 24]. (2010 Census Brief). Available from: http://www.census.gov/ prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf
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