Eskenazi Health believes health equity is a vitally important aspect in developing healthier communities and we’re excited to launch the health equity zone initiative at three Eskenazi Health Center sites; Eskenazi Health Center West 38th Street — International Marketplace, Eskenazi Health Center East 38th Street — Northeast Corridor and Eskenazi Health Center Grassy Creek — Far Eastside.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines health equity as the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. Achieving this requires focused and ongoing societal efforts to eliminate preventable health disparities.
Eskenazi Health Center locations were evaluated and chosen based on the strengths and needs of each area neighborhood they serve and how these factors could beneficially impact the health equity zone model. Through deliberate planning and community partnerships, the implementation of the health equity zone program started in February with the Northeast Corridor Health Equity Zone followed by the Far Eastside and International Marketplace health equity zones.
Health equity zones are distinct areas where Eskenazi Health and community partners will work together to build healthy neighborhoods by addressing long-term social determinants of health, with the goal of increasing the life expectancy of area residents. Together with neighborhood residents and community partners, a collaborative community plan will be implemented to address immediate and systemic barriers through a holistic and all-encompassing approach to improve the following:
• Food as medicine – Eating healthy and nutritious food
• Mental health wellness – Fostering resilience and healthy mindset
• Healthy lifestyles – Creating the conditions for healthy living
• Transportation and connectivity – Connecting to health, education, and employment
• Housing – Supporting quality affordable and safe housing
• Community connectedness – Building social capital and connection
• Safety - Living free of violence, including intimate partner violence and child abuse
• Economic opportunity - Creating pathways to economic self-sufficiency
According to the CDC, social determinants of health are the nonmedical factors influencing health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life that included economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, racism, climate change and political systems.
Social determinants of health have been shown to have a greater influence on health than either genetic factors or access to health care services. Social determinants of health are key drivers of health inequities within communities of color. The impact is pervasive and deeply embedded in our society, creating inequities in a range of social and economic benefits such as housing, education, wealth and employment that put people at higher risk of poor health.
For more than 160 years, Eskenazi Health has continued to support communities by offering and transforming quality health care in an effort to improve our patients’ and surrounding neighborhood residents’ quality of life. To learn more about Eskenazi Health resources and programs, please visit https://www.eskenazihealth.edu/patients/neighborhood-resources.
Nydia Nunez-Estrada M.D.
Family Medicine Specialist at Eskenazi Health Center North Arlington