A Report Of The Georgia Department Of Community Health A SNAPSHOT OF The GEORGIA Health Equity Report Overview Health Disparities Report 2008: A County-Level Look Health Outcomes for Minorities in Georgia provides an account of the status of Georgia's minority populations by county. The report aims to provide health policy makers, health care advocates and communities with a picture of heath status indicators in their respective counties. Key Findings A few key findings from the report include: A list of 14 counties in Georgia that have the best minority health outcomes; Murray County Pickens County Cherokee County Lumpkin County White County Forsyth County Gwinnett County Oconee County Paulding County Fayette County Henry County Wheeler County Miller County Charleton County A list of 16 counties in Georgia have the greatest health challenges for minorities: Fulton County Hall County Jackson County Clarke County Wilkes County Lincoln County McDuffie County Glascock County Macon County Stewart County Quitman County Sumter County Crisp County Irwin County Berrien County Atkinson County Key Recommendations Increase awareness among the general public and key stakeholders by promoting, developing, and investing in initiatives that work to eliminate health disparities Commit to and budget for measuring disparities and monitoring the elimination progress at local levels for all racial and ethnic groups Empower the community by supporting local leadership development and increasing their capacity to serve the target population Develop public policies and practices to include key health disparities issues to improving outcomes 2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga 30303 w www.dch.georgia.gov April 2008 A Snapshot Of The Georgia Health Equity Report Celebrate best practices and programs that effectively improve health outcomes for Georgia's indigent and minority populations Work to create a culturally competent and diverse healthcare workforce Empower patients to access care and participate in treatment decisions Include diversity in collaborations and partnerships to address the elimination of health disparities Community Action Steps The Office of Health Improvement and its Minority Health Advisory Council recommend these Community Action Steps: Review your county's information in the report, available at www.dch.ga.gov to find specific success indicators, and those needing improvement Convene meetings of all interested stakeholders from the health sector (hospital, emergency department, public health, community health center, free clinics, private practice health professionals, etc.) as well as from stakeholders outside the health sector (business, government, elected officials, faith communities, teachers and school leaders, consumer advocates, etc.) Develop a list of community priorities for improvement. Name specific interventions. Get buy-in from key community stakeholders and develop an action plan Commit to specific, measurable goals on key indicators to be achieved within a specific time-frame; Hold follow-up meetings to review data to assess progress and re-tune the interventions For more information, contact the Georgia Department of Community Health, Office of Health Improvement (404-463-4013 or jpeoples@dch.ga.gov).