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Welcome

Welcome to the Disparities Solutions Center (DSC) website, and thank you for your interest in our work. The DSC is dedicated to the development and implementation of strategies that advance policy and practice to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care. The Disparities Solutions Center will achieve this mission by:

  • Serving as a change agent by developing new research and translating innovative research findings into policy and practice

  • Developing and evaluating customized policy and practice solutions for health care providers, insurers, educators, community organizations, and other stakeholders

  • Providing education and leadership training to expand the community of skilled individuals dedicated to eliminating health care disparities

Our goal is to move beyond research and begin to take action—by developing and disseminating models for identifying and addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health care nationally, regionally, and locally. Through our work, we hope to move all healthcare stakeholders one step forward – and closer to eliminating racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare.

Composed of a multidisciplinary group of health policy experts, health services researchers and physicians, the DSC opened in July of 2005 with initial funding from Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners HealthCare System. It is housed within the MGH Institute for Health Policy and affiliated with MGH and Harvard Medical School’s Department of Medicine.

For more information on how the DSC is working to assure equitable, high quality health care for all, please browse through our website. Thank you.

 

Recent Updates from the DSC

Website Update - We will be unable to update our website until December 11th. Please call our main office at 617-724-7658 or email disparitiessolutions@partners.org if you have any questions about upcoming events, resources, or other items.

Award from El Planeta - A recent press release from El Planeta named Dr. Betancourt of the DSC one of the Most Influential Individuals in the Massachusetts Hispanic community. More information to follow shortly.

Now Accepting Applications - Disparities Leadership Program - We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for our 2009-2010 Disparities Leadership Program. This year-long executive education program is designed for leaders from hospitals, health plans and other health care organizations who wish to implement practical strategies to identify and address racial and ethnic disparities in health care, particularly through quality improvement. More information about the DLP and the application process is available here.

Assuring Healthcare Quality: A Healthcare Equity Blueprint – This report offers strategies and practices that can be tailored to individual hospitals to address equity in providing quality care. The Blueprint is a starting point for designing and implementing interventions to address disparities in health care. Read more about the Blueprint and download a free copy.

Quality, Cost Control, Universal Healthcare - A report by the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC), released on Nov 5th, which focuses on the most expensive problem in our nation's healthcare system: the escalating social, economic, and individual costs of treating and managing chronic disease. The work of Dr. Betancourt and the DSC is profiled in the report. For more information, see the PQC website or download a free copy.  

Other Updates

New Publication from The Joint Commission - The Joint Commission’s Hospitals, Language, and Culture (HLC) study is issuing a new research report, One Size Does Not Fit All: Meeting the Health Care Needs of Diverse Populations. This report provides a framework to help organizations meet the challenges of providing safe, quality care to culturally and/or linguistically diverse patients. Download a free copy today!