Health equity is the absence of avoidable, unfair, or remediable differences among groups of people, whether defined socially, economically, demographically, geographically, or by other means. Health equity is achieved when every person has the opportunity to attain their full health potential and no one is disadvantaged because of social circumstance.
Health disparities are preventable differences in health outcomes that are often the result of inequities in health care delivery systems and/or inequities in the larger health systems that includes community resources and social supports that influence health. Health disparities are primarily driven by social and economic inequalities are often driven by racist policies.
"Working towards Health Equity" introduces learners to fundamental concepts of social determinants and health disparities and includes a comprehensive picture of the Rochester community. Learners at the University of Rochester are a vital part of the Rochester community with a critical opportunity to improve health equity.
When improving health inequities and disparities, we are all learners on a life-long journey. The term STUDENT is used throughout the video to refer to learners at any educational level: undergraduate, medical student, resident, fellow, or life-long learner.