H. Jack Geiger, MD, Dept. of Community Health and Social Medicine, City University of New York Medical School, 138th Street and Covent Avenue, New York, NY 10031, 212-650-6860, jgeiger@igc.org

While the health status of all American population groups has improved dramatically over the past six decades, the gaps between whites and minorities-African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and some Asian subgroups-have persisted and, on some indicators, widened. Only relatively recently, however, has attention been focused on a second category of health gap-racial and ethnic disparities in health care, in the quality, intensity and comprehensiveness of diagnostic procedures and treatment choices afforded minority patients. Reports by the Institute of Medicine and an expert panel Physicians for Human Rights review these disparities in quality. The Physicians for Human Rights panel offers some 24 detailed policy recommendations and 11 research recommendations as the agenda for a sustained advocacy campaign to reduce and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care, and as yardsticks to measure progress toward that goal. The campaign must include medical schools, licensing bodies, hospitals, health plans, medical organizations, and government.

Learning Objectives: Learning objectives. At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Identify the evidence of racial and ethnic disparities in quality of health services as documented in reports by the Institute of Medicine and Physicians for Human Right.
• Identify the institutions and entities that must respond, incuding medical and nursing schools, certifying boards, hospitals, health plans, government and others.
• Identify actions that must be taken to achieve an end to racial and ethnic disparities in health.

Keywords: Advocacy, Health Disparities

Related Web page: www.phrusa.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.