A collaborative partnership between the American Hospital Association Institute for Diversity and Health Equity (IFDHE), and BlueCross/Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL), was created to correct inequality in health care in the state, for example, the disproportionately high rate of diabetes among lower-income residents.
A website for the American Hospital Association (AHA) said the agencies will develop a “health equity” grant program providing from $25,000 to $100,000 to 13 participating hospitals and care centers in Illinois to design innovative programs targeting health care disparities in neighborhoods including low-income areas of Chicago.
Hospitals and care centers across Illinois are receiving the grant money to upgrade health conditions for economically-challenged people.
The AHA report said the University of Illinois Mile Square Health Center (MSHC), one of the participants in the grant program, provided care for 3,600 patients with Type 2 diabetes. Approximately 90% of the patients were reported to be racial and ethnic minorities.
Poor food choices and consumption were cited as the culprit, the report said. The MSHC is initiating a pilot program in Chicago’s low-income neighborhoods to demonstrate the value of eating fresh produce and also healthy cooking demonstrations for residents deemed high-risk for potential diabetes.
The MSHC will also establish a diabetes registry listing all patients affected by the illness and institute a health education program.
The report said the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has further demonstrated the disparities between the poor and wealthier residents in addition to the areas of health, access to nutritious food, transportation, environmental quality, education and workforce diversity.
The result is a mistrust of the healthcare system among diverse communities, the report stated.
Other areas the program will focus on include improving maternal and child health, preventing pediatric asthma, breast cancer and improving rural access to health care.
Strengthening community outreach will be an added goal.
Health care facilities earning grant awards in addition to Chicago include hospitals and care centers in Elgin, Peoria, Kankakee, Jacksonville and Oak Lawn.
