Patient Focus
CARDIOSMART CORNER
Closing the Gap in Minority Health Care
Improving population health is a
strategic priority the ACC, as well as
CardioSmart. Part of this objective is
reducing disparities in health care.
Despite improvements, disparities
still exist for racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. For example, African American adults have
among the highest prevalence of
hypertension in the world according
to the American Heart Association’s
2015 Update of its Heart Disease and
Stroke Statistics. Similarly, the prevalence of diabetes is higher among
Hispanics/Latinos and African Americans. Hispanics/Latinos also have a
higher prevalence of elevated blood
cholesterol. Even though these populations are at higher risk, minorities
also tend to experience worse outcomes after cardiovascular events.
Additionally, these populations often
have less access to medical care. It is
important that all patients receive the
same level of treatment, regardless
of race.
In an effort to eliminate these
disparities and achieve health equity,
the U.S. Depa 'F