Starting the Conversation About Healthcare Disparities

Description The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) put forth institutional requirements to implement healthcare disparity education in resident and fellow curricula in an effort to decrease these inequities. Healthcare disparities stem from many different factors. These may include access to care, insurance status, socioeconomic status, health literacy, language barriers, and the way healthcare systems function. These factors may have interactions that lead to poor health outcomes. As researchers and educators, we need to find a way to research these issues in more depth as well as teach these concepts to our resident physicians. Here, we discuss El Paso, Texas, a city located on the United States-Mexico border, which is predominately Latinx. We also discuss increased rates of diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, and liver, stomach, and cervical cancers. Common obstacles to healthcare include language and literacy barriers, lack of transportation, and lack of healthcare professionals. We outline 4 strategies for change to address these disparities. By implementing these strategies in ACGME education for residents, healthcare disparities in the El Paso community can be addressed and eliminated.