A Multisector Approach to Influence Responsive Policy Making and Eliminate Health Inequities

• In Event: 34.095 - MTCC Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: 34.095-4 - Continued Efforts to Diversify the Health Professions: From Educational Pipelines to Professional Practice

Abstract

As students enter the health workforce pipeline, it is vital that they understand the many potential dimensions of their role. Students are not just important for their presence in the pipeline, but also because of their potential impact to advocate for vulnerable communities at a policy-based level. In this case study, graduate students assisted in the development of a model for responsive policymaking to address health inequities in a predominantly Latino, low-income, urban area. A team of academic researchers engaged policymakers, a local healthcare delivery system, and other community stakeholders in developing shared goals and a mutual understanding of constituent health inequities. Finally, students identified place-specific factors and gaps in providers’ knowledge to inform development of a policymaker-defined toolkit.

Cross- Collaborative Model: The University’s School for the Science of Healthcare Delivery (SHCD) developed a cross-collaborative model to better educate health services research students on the issue of health equity. In the Model, graduate student researchers partnered with elected officials and communities for the duration of the research and policy development process. Under this model, elected officials and communities identified specific health issues affecting their community and requested research to inform policy changes. Graduate student researchers captured the voice and experience of community leaders, academic health centers and studied the role of social determinants of health to develop policy recommendations that shift the ecological equity of affected communities.

Pilot Program: SHCD graduate student researchers initiated a pilot program for the model with Phoenix, Arizona’s Vice Mayor and City Council member to improve health equity in the nation’s sixth most populous city. Students were placed in the office of the Vice Mayor for the duration of the graduate program. The Vice Mayor’s district is a predominantly urban, Latino and low socio-economic municipality. Based upon initial conversations with community, the Vice Mayor identified two issues in the district disproportionately affecting the health of working families and children: 1.) The presence of a sizeable food desert resulting in limited access to healthy food options and exacerbating high rates of obesity and diabetes; 2.) Poor air quality caused by industrial and urban pollutants leading to high rates of pediatric asthma.

Student activities: Student researchers attended City Council events, learned about the structures and functions of municipal government, and attended citywide meetings relevant to health disparities. Students also worked with the Vice Mayor to understand gaps in knowledge regarding health inequities and began discussion regarding a policy toolkit. The students then developed relationships with non-profits and community leaders on behalf of the Vice Mayor. Throughout this process, students conducted semi-structured interviews with city leadership and local leadership to better understand community needs. Students also completed a literature review, GIS mapping, and qualitative data collection.

Study findings informed a policymaker-defined toolkit which included a current state analysis, stakeholder assessment, recommendations of national best practices in policy, intervention, evaluation and target recommendations to improve health outcomes for the policymaker’s constituency.

Author

• Swapna Reddy, Arizona State University