CHNA - Flipbook - Page 13
Health Disparities Based on Race and Ethnicity
Significant disparities in health outcomes based on a person’s
neighborhood and income level. Within the Verdant Service Area
there are significant disparities of health outcomes by
neighborhood (census tract), illustrated both by the Area
Deprivation Index and CDC’s Life Expectancy visualization.
Income disparity impacts a person’s ability to access available
health services. People with lower incomes face additional
barriers to accessing healthcare, often having to choose between
financial priorities, and unable to consistently prioritize health.
Significant disparities in health outcomes based on a person’s
race and ethnicity. While the Verdant Service Area generally has
high performance on health outcomes when compared to state
averages, there are specific populations that show statistically
significant disparities in those outcomes. The Washington State
Health Equity Scorecard and the County Health Rankings for
Snohomish show significant disparities across health outcomes
based on race/ethnicity, with the American Indian and Alaskan Native
and Black communities experiencing the greatest disparities and inequities across healthcare, housing, and income. As
stated by Dr. Lisa Cooper of The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, “Health equity is about more than individuals
or individual behavior; it’s also about the history and context of places and systems.” As such, it is critical for local health
interventions and policies to take into account the history, context, systems, and discrimination that contribute to
disparities in health outcomes.
Verdant Health Commission 2022
Page 13
