4 Ways to Prioritize Health Equity In Your Care-At-Home Program

Here are four ways care-at-home programs can make or break the pursuit of improved equity in access, adherence, and outcomes. The healthcare business is currently negotiating two significant trends: healthcare is expanding into the home and technology is moving into healthcare. We all sense the potential of this quantum leap moment for healthcare as providers, payers, vendors, and newcomers to the field strive to determine "who's on first." Improving health equity across racial, gender, age, economic, educational, and geographic boundaries is a crucial imperative for these developing care models that is currently the subject of many of our collective discussions. For good reason, this objective has taken centre stage in many care-at-home programmes around the nation. Every week, new care-at-home projects are announced, so it's critical that they use the proper technology and support to address and reduce disparities. 

There are several steps you can take to prioritize equity in care at home programs:

• Identify and understand the specific needs and challenges faced by different groups within your community, including those who may be disadvantaged or marginalized. This may involve collecting data or conducting community assessments to gather information about the needs and priorities of different populations.
• Engage with community members and stakeholders, including those who may be traditionally underrepresented or overlooked, to ensure that the care at home program is responsive to the needs and priorities of the community. This may involve creating opportunities for input and feedback through town hall meetings, focus groups, or other forms of consultation.
• Establish clear policies and procedures that prioritize equity and inclusivity, including measures to ensure that all individuals have equal access to care and support. This may involve providing language and cultural interpretation services, ensuring that materials are available in multiple languages, and providing accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
• Train staff and volunteers on issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and create a culture of inclusivity within the care at home program. This may involve providing training on cultural competency, bias awareness, and other related topics.
• Monitor and evaluate the care at home program to ensure that it is meeting the needs of all community members and making progress towards achieving equity. This may involve collecting data on the demographics of those served by the program, tracking progress towards specific equity goals, and soliciting feedback from community members and stakeholders.