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Health Disparities

The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities: Historical Review, Rationale, and Implications Five Years after Publication

Published in the "Disability and Health Journal," Volume 3, Issue 4
Co-authored by Richard H. Carmona, Margaret Giannini, Brian Bergmark, and Jennifer Cabe
October 2010

The recognition of the need for health professionals to see and treat the whole person, not just the disability, The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities was collaboratively developed and issued in 2005 under the leadership of 17th U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS. This article provides a historical review of legislation that preceded development of the Call to Action, cites current implications of the Call to Action, and examines the need for continued action to ensure that the full potential of persons with disabilities can be realized. Richard Carmona, now CRI President, and Jennifer Cabe, M.A., who served in the Office of the Surgeon General and is now CRI Executive Director and Board Member, produced the 2005 Call to Action with numerous co-authors from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and other organizations, notably Margaret Giannini, M.D., FAAP.

 

The 2007 National Healthcare Disparities Report

Since 2003, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has tracked national trends in a broad array of measures of health care quality and access, documenting disparities in factors that affect Americans' access to health care and the quality of the health care they receive. As with health literacy, these disparities can prevent individuals from receiving the health care they need or prevent them from providing health care for their loved ones. Ultimately, the result is higher health disparities, disability, and death from preventable diseases. Understanding the nature and root causes of these disparities is crucial if all Americans are to experience the benefits of improvements in health care, including access to preventive measures and information as well as appropriate disease treatments.

National Healthcare Disparities Report, 2007 (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0041). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

 
 

Health Disparities Resources

A Cultural Transformation Toward Wellness

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CRI President Richard H. Carmona discusses how CRI is helping people in diverse communities.