About Health Disparity

Health disparity means that people of color are living sicker and dying younger than they should. This does not need to happen.

The challenge for ALL of us to eliminate health disparity through simultaneous efforts on all fronts: better health care, environmental change, health education, and changes in legislation and policy. Our work in the South Bronx involves the combined efforts of community members, faith-based organizations, health care providers and legislators and policy makers, working to make change happen.

When advocating for health equality, it is important to be armed with critical facts and statistics. Learn more about the state of health disparities in New York and in our community.

  • On average, black males live about seven years less than their white counterparts. Black females three years less.
  • About 30% of Hispanics and 20% of African Americans lack a usual source of health care, compared with 16% of whites.
  • Black males and females experience glaring inequities in terms of access to care and access to health coverage.

Source: Arias E. United States life tables, 2003. National vital statistics reports; vol 54 no 14. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2006.

Source: Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care Fact Sheet. AHRQ Publication No. 00-PO41, February 2000. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
http://www.ahrq.gov/research/disparit.htm

Source: Brown, ER, Ojeda, VD, Wyn, R, and R Levan. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Health Insurance and Health Care. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and Kaiser Family Foundation, April 2000. Report Available at http://www.kff.org.