Health Equity

The 2020 Census identified 9.7 million people as American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN), alone and in combination with another race. As upheld by the Supreme Court. the United States government has a “trust responsibility to provide services to American Indians and Alaska Native persons”. This doctrine upholds that, among other provisions, the federal government […]

As of January 2020, over 580,000 individuals were experiencing homelessness in America, in every state and territory. 2020 was the fourth consecutive year that rates of homelessness increased, with a 2 percent increase between 2019 and 2020 alone, and saw a growing population of people living outdoors. In August of 2021, the Supreme Court issued […]

Clinicians, hospitals, and health systems are searching for new ways to improve the oncology patient experience and promote health equity. The ongoing pandemic has complicated this push for improvement, as providers and health systems have had to change care delivery practices dramatically to protect patients from COVID-19. Furthermore, health equity has received significant attention over […]

This briefing examined the difference between perinatal health and perinatal mental health and their intrinsic relationship. Panelists dove into factors contributing to perinatal health and mental health as well as policy levers and promising solutions available to stakeholders to reduce and prevent mental health symptoms and mood disorders. Attendees learned about the existing policy levers […]

Health data is critical for health care decision making and policy development. It can be used to determine a course of treatment, coverage eligibility, and even insurance premiums, but can be vulnerable to flaws like missing information or bias. The COVID-19 pandemic presents a notable example of the challenges and opportunities in leveraging health data. […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has largely dominated the infectious disease conversation over the past 18 months, including during the 2020-21 flu season, and offers important lessons for policymakers and health care professionals in pandemic preparedness. Influenza and COVID-19 are both respiratory infectious diseases and many of the policy gaps identified in our response to COVID-19 would […]

Conversations around health equity and social determinants of health have received heightened attention and are continuously evolving within the health policy community. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with eye-opening events that garnered international attention, has been one of the health policy community’s greatest teachers, putting equity and health justice at top of mind and accelerating multi-sectoral […]

On December 14, 2020, the first COVID-19 vaccine was administered under U.S. FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the United States. Since then, 47% of the eligible U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 55.2% have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Unfortunately, vaccine confidence and other roadblocks have continued to […]

Download an overview of this event for easy sharing » On April 29, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it would issue proposals within the next year to ban menthol cigarettes and all characterizing flavors in cigars. This event outlined the latest science on nicotine initiation, addiction, and cessation, the use of flavorings in […]

This multi-day virtual academy equipped staffers at the start of their career in health policy (or those that needed a refresher) with practical knowledge about fundamental facets of the health care system and the policymaking process. Sessions will feature speakers with experience working in/with federal policy institutions, including Congress and the executive branch. Topics addressed […]

As decreed by the constitution, the United States must complete a census every ten years, and attempt to count every resident in the country. The census’s primary purpose is to apportion the number of seats for each state in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, the decennial count also shapes many health policy issues, including […]

Event Description This keynote discussion explored structural conditions that have lead to health disparities before COVID and during the current pandemic as well as policy levers to address these inequities. Speakers Rashawn Ray, Ph.D., M.A., David M. Rubenstein Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution Licy Do Canto, Executive Vice President, Managing Director, BCW Public Affairs and Crisis (moderator) Biographies […]