April is National Minority Health Month

April is National Minority Health Month. This year’s theme, “Health Equity can’t Wait: Act Now in Your CommUNITY!”, is a call to action and unity for the nation to get involved and invested in reducing health disparities. Since 2009, Fulton County Health and Human Services has been providing integrated services to residents in an effort to address health disparities and assist them with living healthier lifestyles.

“Fulton County continues to address health disparities that affect some of our communities more than others,” states Patrice A. Harris, MD, Director of Fulton County Health Services. “Everyone has a stake in community health; we have to work together to find solutions.”

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), health disparities are differences in health outcomes that are closely linked with social, economic, and environmental disadvantage and often driven by the social conditions in which individuals live, learn, work and play. Individuals, families and communities that have systematically experienced social and economic disadvantage face greater obstacles to optimal health.

Fulton County has evolved its care delivery system to an integrated service approach to address health disparities to help residents to access health care, to improve their health outcomes and address the social determinants of health. In this innovative approach, traditional public health services have been integrated with primary care, behavioral health, dental health and human services such as employment and housing assistance and quality of life services to help with literacy and nutritional issues.

“We are committed to providing quality healthcare services to all residents of Fulton County,” adds Dr. Harris. “We will continue to build our relationships with the community, other governments and stakeholders to reduce and eliminate health disparities.”

For more information, log-on to www.fultoncountygahealth.org.