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Tackling Health Disparities: The Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Office of Minority Health
Gregson H. Pigott, MD, MPH
Director – Office of Minority Health
Suffolk County, with a size of 900 square miles and 2/3 of the land mass of Long Island, is known for its open lands, beaches, and relative tranquility. Suffolk is also surprisingly diverse; with a total population of approximately 1.5 million residents, 8% are African American, 13% Hispanic/Latino, 4% Asian, and 1% Native American. Yet despite its apparent relative wealth, Suffolk has several areas with many residents living at or below the federal poverty level. Many of these residents are from minority groups, who also suffer disproportionately from heart disease & strokes, breast cancer & prostate cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hypertension, and higher infant mortality rates. For example, in Suffolk County the incidence of prostate cancer in African American men is 1.4 times the rate in the general population but the difference in mortality rate is more than double. This suggests that African American men are being diagnosed at a later stage of disease, and also possibly not being offered the same treatment as other populations.
According to the 2002 landmark report by the Institute of Medicine “Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare”, even when health care access-related factors, such as patients’ insurance status and income, are controlled, racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive a lower quality of health care than non-minorities. When studied further, evidence was found that stereotyping, biases, and uncertainty on the part of the health care providers were contributing to unequal treatment. One of the most effective ways to combat these provider-related issues is to continue to make providers aware of health disparities and to improve cultural competency training for health professionals.
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Office of Minority Health (SCDHS OMH) was created in 2005 to address existing health disparities and improve the health of minorities in our county by: raising awareness of health issues through educational programs and events; working to improve access to quality primary care services and health insurance; and ensuring that our residents receive health care in a culturally sensitive and appropriate manner. Through partnerships and collaborations with various organizations based in Suffolk County, we are becoming a presence in the community.
Our annual health disparities conferences are always well-attended and have brought awareness to the public health community on issues such as health disparities in Suffolk County, a holistic approach to addressing health disparities, HIV/AIDS in minority communities, and the obesity epidemic and its disproportionate impact on minority communities. This year’s conference on obesity featured informative lectures from Dr. Peter Morelli and Dr. Jospehine Connolly-Schoonen of Stony Brook University Hospital, and interactive workshops on healthy shopping and cooking, obesity surgery, body image concerns of African American and Latina women, dancing as an enjoyable form of exercise, and a testimonial from Long Island’s own Bill Germanakos, winner of season 4 of the NBC reality program ‘The Biggest Loser.’ People left the conference empowered to make healthy lifestyle changes in their own lives as well as in their communities.
SCDHS OMH has also formed relationships with several minority-owned barber shops and beauty salons in several areas of Suffolk County. Called SHOPs (Suffolk Health Outreach Partnerships), this program has been successful in disseminating information about health issues such as heart disease & stroke, diabetes, prostate health, and HIV/AIDS to an audience that is otherwise difficult to reach with health information. This program won an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo) in 2009 for its innovation.
One of the main issues driving health disparities for our non-English speaking residents is poor access to culturally competent care in the residents’ preferred language(s). We strive to improve the cultural competency of health services in our county through our CLAS (Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services) project. This 14 point federal guideline has been incorporated into the mission statement of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. We have partnered with Southside Hospital to train bilingual staff in our health centers to become certified medical interpreters. We have completed 2 rounds of training sessions and are preparing for another in January, 2010. We also partner with Stony Brook University to provide annual on-site cultural competency training for the staff of our county health centers. OMH also meets with administrators from our health centers on a monthly basis to further address issues related to cultural competency.
We are exploring collaborations with the faith community, such as a Gospel music concert and health fair event that is being planned for Spring 2010. We are looking into unique events involving sporting activities and health education, such as health fairs at soccer facilities in Brentwood.
Through these programs and many others, the Office of Minority Health seeks to improve the health of Suffolk County residents and to eliminate health disparities.
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