Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in the Military Health System : Defense Health Board , November 29 , 2023
Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in the Military Health System : Defense Health Board , November 29 , 2023
From the report: "The Military Health System (MHS) healthcare benefit was designed to produce a uniform level of optimized health and is an essential contributor to active duty force readiness. The MHS serves a diverse population: nearly 25 percent of the total DoD military force self-identifies as a racial minority, three percent as Multiracial, and 18 percent with Hispanic ethnicity. Health equity has become a high priority in recent years across the federal government. In the DoD, racial and ethnic health disparities are seen as a potential threat to readiness. In May 2022, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (ASD(HA)) tasked the Defense Health Board (DHB) to provide recommendations to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in the MHS. The DHBs Health Systems Subcommittee investigated racial and ethnic health disparities in the MHS during 2022 and 2023. The Subcommittee conducted a literature review of MHS health disparities; received briefings from Defense Health Agency (DHA) leadership, military and civilian health care providers, and researchers; participated in discussions with representatives of civilian health systems with experience identifying and addressing racial and ethnic health disparities; and made a site visit to Naval Medical Center San Diego. During this visit, the Subcommittee met with a dedicated group of health care providers who have led many initiatives to document and address racial and ethnic health disparities. Conversations with other military personnel revealed a belief that racial and ethnic health disparities do not exist in the universal access MHS. However, studies document that health disparities exist within the MHS despite presumed equality in access to care. In particular, the DHB found statistically significant disparities in maternal health outcomes by race that warrant immediate attention and action."
Authors - Browne, Michael-AnneRelated Resources
