Healthcare and Private-Sector Leaders Unite to Prescribe Ways to Eliminate Health Disparities, Increase Worker Productivity

Thursday, April 13, 2006

“Prescriptions for Change: A Coordinated Strategy to Eliminate Health Disparities in Northeast Ohio”, released today by healthcare and private-sector leaders, recommends strategies for raising awareness and developing solutions to address the persistent gap in health outcomes experienced by minority and non-minority populations in Northeast Ohio. The report challenges leaders from a variety of disciplines to create a coordinated, broad-based strategy to address this costly and inequitable state of affairs.

“I encourage the community to rally behind this cause and undertake the long-term challenge of improving the health of our citizens as an important priority,” said Dr. Ashwini Sehgal, director of the Case Center for Reducing Health Disparities.

The Case Center for Reducing Health Disparities, a collaboration between MetroHealth Center and Case Western Reserve University, joined the Roundtable Community Council, a program of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, to host a year-long series of lectures focused on complex healthcare issues. Data and perspectives from the lecture series and community forums were synthesized into the final “Prescriptions for Change” report.

“Leaders in the private sector and in the business community recognize that the health of their workers affects their bottom line and the economic capacity of the region,” said Danny Williams, executive director of the Roundtable Community Council and senior vice president and general counsel at the Greater Cleveland Partnership. “This sourcebook provides community resources and recommendations targeted at the business community and others, which if implemented, can make great strides toward reducing the devastating effects of disparate healthcare and will ultimately improve the quality of life for all who live in Greater Cleveland.”

Recommendations in “Prescriptions for Change” focus on healthcare providers, researchers, insurance providers, local elected officials, grant makers and funders, secondary schools, colleges and universities, community organizations and Northeast Ohio business leaders.

Copies of the report can be obtained by contacting the Case Center for Reducing Health Disparities at (216) 778-8484 or the Greater Cleveland Partnership at (216) 621-3300, ext. 2213.

Back to News