Poverty is a key driver of health disparities. But numerous policies have been shown to help alleviate poverty and improve health equity, according to Dr. Rita Hamad, associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Hamad says policymakers need to look upstream and identify the root causes of health issues.

“And really recognizing that poverty is one of the major root causes of those issues, and that if we don't address that… those health issues are just going to keep arising and not getting any better,” she says.

On this episode of the Health Disparities podcast, Hamad speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Charla Johnson about evidence-based policies for alleviating poverty — like the child tax credit, earned income tax credit — and explains how healthcare systems can get more involved in bolstering the social safety net.

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A diverse healthcare workforce is critical to improving outcomes for our diverse nation.

In order to achieve this, there needs to be both a pipeline and a pathway, says Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine.

“We need students to believe what’s possible in first grade and then chart a path,” she says.

Montgomery Rice says her own love and science and people led her to chart her career pathway that led her into academic medicine. “What if everybody was given that opportunity. What if everybody was told you can be whatever you want to be?”

“Every one of my roles has been about how to develop people to bring their best self to work,” she says.

Although health equity work can be polarized and be perceived as political, Montgomery Rice says Morehouse School of Medicine is committed to leading the creation and advancement of health equity — both through new solutions and through complementing existing ones.

The heart of her message on health equity: It’s about “giving people what they need, when they need it, to achieve optimal level of health.”

Montgomery Rice spoke with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Carla Harwell for this episode, which was recorded at Movement Is Life’s annual health equity summit.

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Participating in religious activities appears to benefit cardiovascular health among Black Americans. It’s something we explored in an episode on this podcast a few years back.

Health systems, professional societies and researchers are increasingly recognizing that “faith-based organizations are trusted institutions within underserved communities and that people not only seek spiritual refuge and salvation in these places of worship, but they are also wonderful, trusted vessels to distribute reliable health information,” says Dr. LaPrincess Brewer, a faculty member in the division of Preventive Cardiology, department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic.

“Participating in religious activities from church services to private prayer, as well as holding deep spiritual beliefs are linked to better cardiovascular health among Black Americans," according to researchers of a 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

The researchers go on to suggest that recognition by health professionals and researchers of the centrality and influence of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of African American adults may serve as a means to address cardiovascular health disparities.

In an episode that was first published in 2023, Movement Is Life’s Dr. Mary O’Connor spoke with Dr. Brewer, whose primary research focus is reducing cardiovascular disease health disparities in racial and ethnic minority populations and in underserved communities, and Clarence Jones, a community engagement specialist and former director of community engagement at a federally qualified health center in Minneapolis who has extensive experience in collaborating with community and faith-based partners in promoting community wellness and access to health services.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.