Health Equity
Your one-stop shop for health equity resources.
Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, achieving health equity requires actions to increase opportunities to be as healthy as possible. That requires improving access to the conditions and resources that strongly influence health – including good jobs with fair pay, high quality education, safe housing, good physical and social environments, and high-quality health care – for those who lack access and have worse health.
Demonstrate your commitment to making health equity a priority in your organization or community by taking action with the resources below!
“Achieving health equity for all is a bold vision that requires bold action.”*
Taking action is the first step towards advancing health equity.
Use this brief assessment to identify gaps and opportunities for engagement and action to establish a culture of health equity in your organization.
Health Literacy
Rural Health Resources
CLAS
Nursing Home Resources
Social Drivers of Health
Hospital Resources
Tools & Training
Health Literacy
According to Healthy People 2030, personal health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.
Organizational health literacy is the degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.
Low health literacy is associated with reduced use of preventive services, poorly managed chronic conditions, higher mortality, medication errors, low rates of treatment compliance, hospital readmissions, unnecessary emergency room visits, longer hospital stays, fragmented access to care and poor responsiveness to public health emergencies.
Tools for Providers
- AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, 2nd Edition
- AHRQ Teach-Back: Intervention
- AHRQ The SHARE Approach
- IHI Patient Safety Essentials Toolkit: Ask Me 3®
Printable flyers with state-specific data:
Connecting the Dots: Health Equity & Health Literacy
Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS)
The National CLAS Standards describe a framework to deliver services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate and respectful, and that respond to patients’ cultural health beliefs, preferences and communication needs.
They consist of fifteen action steps for providing CLAS and serve as a guide to becoming a healthcare organization that fosters health equity for all patients regardless of their culture or socio-economic factors.
What is CLAS?
Culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) are a way to improve the quality of services provided to all individuals, which will ultimately help reduce health disparities and achieve health equity.
CLAS is about respect and responsiveness. Respect the whole individual and respond to their health needs and preferences.
Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) What, Why and How
Culturally Appropriate Care During an Emergency
Social Drivers of Health (SDOH)
According to Healthy People 2030, social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
Social determinants (or drivers) of health may include income, health literacy, better quality food, housing, transportation, healthcare, social interactions and rural health.
Data Collection Tools
Implementing screening tools can help patients connect with needed services that can improve their health and allows clinicians to develop treatment plans that are better tailored to a patient’s unique needs and priorities – resulting in plans that patients may be more likely to follow. Some of the top screening tools include:
- Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks, and Experiences tool (PRAPARE)
- CMS Accountable Health Communities’ 10-question Health-Related Social Needs Screening Tool (AHC-HRSN)
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Medicaid SDoH Screening Questions
Tools & Trainings to Advance Health Equity
Explore training opportunities, interventions and more.
Training Opportunities
- Telligen Trainings in the Secure Portal
- Telligen On-Demand Learning
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Modernizing Healthcare to Improve Physical Accessibility (Medicare Learning Network Training)
LGBTQ+ Resources
Check out the Center of Excellence LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity resource page for videos, infographics and more.
Download the LGBTQ+ Trauma-Informed Care Infographic.
Health Equity Champions
Every person deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life possible. At Telligen, we understand health equity is complex and requires highly committed change agents with multiple perspectives and multi-faceted approaches to improve health for all.
That is why we have created our Health Equity Champions initiative to recognize these organizations that are the driving force of advancing fair and equitable care across their organizations and in their communities.
Health Equity Champions are a diverse array of healthcare and community organizations that impact health outcomes at the local, state, and regional level. Through data driven approaches, these organizations identify disparities and gaps in care then use evidence-based interventions to co-create customized strategies to meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of the patients and residents they serve.
Health Equity Champion Criteria
In order to qualify as a Health Equity Champion, organizations must complete the following:
- Take Telligen’s Health Equity Assessment
- Complete at least two on-demand learnings in Telligen’s Secure Portal via the Learning Management System
- Complete Telligen’s CLAS (Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services) learning series
- If you are a hospital, complete the Health Equity Organizational Assessment
Setting Specific Resources
Nursing Homes
Like other healthcare institutions, health disparities exist in nursing homes. These disparities can have a significant impact on health outcomes such as infection rates, hospitalizations, readmission rates and mortality By prioritizing health equity and person-centered care, nursing homes can address health disparities and disproportionate outcomes among vulnerable populations.
Rural Health
Access to healthcare services is crucial for maintaining good health. However, rural communities often face significant barriers to accessing healthcare, including a shortage of primary care providers, challenges with transportation and a lack of culturally appropriate services. These barriers can result in delayed or inadequate care for individuals in rural areas, impacting their overall health and well-being.
Hospitals
Hospitals and health systems are pivotal in promoting health equity. They have the opportunity to proactively engage with communities and work collaboratively to advance health equity, foster trust, reduce costs, strengthen relationships across sectors and enhance overall health and well-being.
Nursing Home Resources
On-Demand Learning Opportunities
- Telligen QI Connect™ Learning Management System (LMS) – Health Equity in Action: Addressing Ableism, Ageism, Social Isolation and Health Literacy (brief trainings in these three topic areas, CECs available)
Podcasts
Flyers
- Health Equity & Person-Centered Care in Nursing Homes Flyer
- Connecting the Dots: Health Equity & Health Literacy – printable flyers with state-specific data.
Trainings/Recordings
On the last Tuesday of every month, the Nursing Home Quality Essentials series is dedicated to health equity topics. View some past trainings and register for future events.
- Health Equity’s Role in Trauma Informed Care, Part 1
- Health Equity’s Role in Trauma Informed Care, Part 2
- Health Equity: Health Literacy & Cultural Sensitivity
- Health Equity: Health Literacy and Quality Improvement Interventions
Additional Recordings:
Partner Resources
Rural Health Resources
- Rural Health Information Hub – RHIhub
- Visit the Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
- National Center for Farmworker Health
Rural Health Data
*The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Visit our calendar of events for health equity learning opportunities.
Contact us to learn more about Telligen’s health equity initiatives.