National Academies Report Recommends New Federal Steps to Advance Health Equity
- July 28, 2023
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued July 27 includes recommendations for the federal government to help reduce widespread and persistent health inequities.
One recommendation calls for the president to create a permanent federal body responsible for improving racial, ethnic, and tribal equity across the federal government. The report also says that Congress should create a new score card to assess how proposed federal legislation could impact health equity and that federal agencies should conduct equity audits of their current policies.
Other recommendations focus on "collecting more accurate and complete population data for minoritized communities, improving coordination among federal agencies, supporting better inclusion of community input, and increasing federal support and access for state and local programs," a press release said.
“Addressing the nation’s racial and ethnic health disparities is an imperative for the medical community, and a crucial goal the National Academy of Medicine has worked toward for years,” said Victor J. Dzau, president of the National Academy of Medicine. “This report’s recommendations are a path forward for improving equity in the federal policies, systems, and structures that shape our health and well-being.”
The report is Federal Policy to Advance Racial, Ethnic, and Tribal Health Equity.