Why and how six aligning forces for quality communities have focused on reducing disparities

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Disparities
• Consumer Health Information

Background:

• Public reports on healthcare provider performance can inform consumer decisions, but awareness and usage are low, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities.
• Addressing these disparities is crucial for equitable healthcare access and informed decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe strategies used by multi-stakeholder alliances in six U.S. communities to increase awareness of public performance reports among minority populations.
• To explore the motivations behind alliances' targeted efforts to reach minority consumers.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research involving multi-stakeholder alliances in six diverse U.S. communities.
• Analysis of alliance activities and motivations for targeting minority awareness of public reports.
• Documenting collaborative efforts with minority-serving organizations.

Main Results:

• Alliance decisions to target minorities were influenced by community demographics and perceived race-based disparities in care.
• Key strategies included advertising via ethnic media, presentations at community health events, and translating reports into multiple languages.
• Collaboration with minority-serving organizations was central to successful outreach.

Conclusions:

• Community partnerships with minority-serving organizations are an effective approach to enhance awareness of public health reports in minority communities.
• Targeted outreach strategies can help bridge the information gap and promote equitable use of healthcare performance data.