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PRINCIPLES REGARDING HEALTH EQUITY

The American Medical Student Association:

1.             REGARDING Culturally and Socially Responsible Education

a.             BELIEVES education needs to be made more affordable and accessible to children born into poverty. (2007)

b.             RECOGNIZES educational debt deters health students from pursuing careers in primary care and underserved areas. (2007)

c.             URGES the United States to address debt and the affordability of medical education so that educational debt repayment and management does not constrain the culturally and socially responsible opportunities available to graduates of higher education. (2007)

d.             BELIEVES that the U.S. educational institutions should reflect our nation’s diversity to promote culturally and socially responsible education. (2007)

e.             RECOGNIZES that the proportion of racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. population is disproportionate to the number of racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. physician workforce. (2007)

 f.             SUPPORTS efforts that promote the recruitment, retention, and matriculation of underrepresented persons at all levels of higher education, especially in the health professions to reflect the diversity of our nation. (2007)

2.             REGARDING Health Care Workforce Access and Training

a.             BELIEVES all health care providers should be adequately trained to competently address the needs of diverse and traditionally marginalized communities. (2007)

 b.            SUPPORTS the training of health students and residents to occur in underserved areas and community centered clinical practices by instituting minimum standards and quality measures in health professions curricula and licensure to promote a sense of equity and commitment to medically underserved communities and their expectations of the health workforce. (2007)

c.             RECOGNIZES that the current health care workforce growth is insufficient to keep pace with the needs of  underserved areas and the increasing burden of chronic disease. (2007)

d.             URGES the expansion of the number of health care workers and training slots available domestically and abroad. (2007)

3.             REGARDING Social Determinants of Health

a.             RECOGNIZES that poverty and socioeconomic inequality are major causes of chronic disease. (2007)

b.             BELIEVES we must address the social and economic causes of chronic disease, increase emphasis on prevention and primary care, and educate ourselves and our communities on mechanisms of causation and opportunities for prevention. To this end, we must address the impact of poverty and promote the provision of a living wage to individuals as an investment in the health of working families. (2007)

c.             BELIEVES that environmental hazards lead to adverse health outcomes and disproportionately affect economically disadvantaged and minority communities. (2007)

d.             BELIEVES we need to promote healthy environments for all people and address environmental health issues as critical to achieving social justice and eliminating health disparities. We must address quality of housing and built environment when attempting to sponsor community-driven initiatives or supporting community-centered interventions. (2007)

4.             Regarding Quality of Care

a.             BELIEVES that investing in the delivery of high quality health care for all is an investment in society and the ability of our nation to respond to national emergencies and threats to our health. (2007)

b.             RECOGNIZES that the U.S. spends the highest per capita on health care (2007)

c.             BELIEVES that the U.S. should be among the healthiest nations in the world. (2007)

d.             SUPPORTS the notion that we can no longer let the current U.S. market based health care system ignore the possible savings of preventive health practices.  (2007)

e.             URGES the United States to strengthen the public health and primary care infrastructure by ensuring that proven models of chronic disease prevention and management such as Community Health Centers are adequately supported. (2007)

f.              BELIEVES that the increasing burden of disease on our health care delivery system has overwhelmed our current health care system and compromised our nation’s ability to deliver the highest quality of care. (2007)

g.             BELIEVES that health care access, delivery and quality of care are a human right. (2007)

h.             BELIEVES that current attempts to contain costs and maximize profits of the U.S. health management and insurance industries have left millions of people uninsured and millions of people underinsured nationally, compromising access to care with the greatest burden placed on our most needy communities. (2007) 

i.              URGES efforts to promote equitable access and delivery of high-quality care for medically vulnerable populations among whom systemic bias and stigma continue to compromise public policy, insurance parity, and quality of treatment. (2007)

5.             URGES all health professionals and students to advocate for Health Equity as described above. AMSA will accept these principles and the Health Equity Campaign will adopt these principles as a platform and working document based on membership action, community initiation and support. (2007)