Achieving Equitable Cardiovascular Care for All: ACC Board of Trustees Health Equity Task Force Action Plan

Paul L Douglass; Dipti Itchhaporia; Biykem Bozkurt; Robert O Roswell; Akshay Khandelwal; Quinn Capers 4th; Kathryn Berlacher; Modele O Ogunniyi; Alison L Bailey; Phillip D Levy; Aubrey J Grant; Jack Tocco; Angela Natcheva; Akua G Asare; Ami B Bhatt; Jennifer H Mieres; Maghee F Disch; Melvin R Echols

doi:10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.101050

Achieving Equitable Cardiovascular Care for All: ACC Board of Trustees Health Equity Task Force Action Plan

JACC Adv. 2024 Jul 31;3(7):101050. doi: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.101050. eCollection 2024 Jul.

Authors

Paul L Douglass¹, Dipti Itchhaporia², Biykem Bozkurt³, Robert O Roswell⁴, Akshay Khandelwal⁵, Quinn Capers 4th⁶, Kathryn Berlacher⁷, Modele O Ogunniyi^{8

9}, Alison L Bailey¹⁰, Phillip D Levy¹¹, Aubrey J Grant¹², Jack Tocco¹³, Angela Natcheva¹⁴, Akua G Asare¹⁴, Ami B Bhatt¹⁵, Jennifer H Mieres¹⁶, Maghee F Disch¹⁴, Melvin R Echols¹⁷

Affiliations

¹ Chair, ACC BOT Health Equity Taskforce, Wellstar Health System, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
² Chair of Cardiovascular Health, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach, California, USA.
³ Winters Center for Heart Failure, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Newport Beach, California, USA.
⁴ Department of Science Education and Cardiology, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, New York, New York, USA.
⁵ System Chair, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁶ Chair of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA.
⁷ University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Heart and Vascular Institute.
⁸ Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
⁹ Division of Cardiology, Department Medicine, Grady Health System, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
¹⁰ Center for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health at Parkridge, Parkridge Health System, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.
¹¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
¹² Division of Cardiology, Department Medicine, Medstar Heart and Vascular Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
¹³ Department of Community and Population Health, Northwell Health, Brooklyn, New York, USA.
¹⁴ Division of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, American College of Cardiology, Washington, DC, USA.
¹⁵ American College of Cardiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Cardiology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Brooklyn, New York, USA.
¹⁷ Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at American College of Cardiology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Abstract

Advancements in cardiovascular (CV) disease management are notable, yet health inequities prevail, associated with increased morbidity and mortality noted among non-Hispanic African Americans in the United States. The 2002 Institute of Medicine Report revealed ongoing racial and ethnic health care disparities, spearheading a deeper understanding of the social determinants of health and systemic racism to develop strategies for CV health equity (HE). This article outlines the strategic HE approach of the American College of Cardiology, comprising 6 strategic equity domains: workforce pathway inclusivity, health care, data, science, and tools; education and training; membership, partnership, and collaboration; advocacy and policy; and clinical trial diversity. The American College of Cardiology's Health Equity Task Force champions the improvement of patients' lived experiences, population health, and clinician well-being while reducing health care costs-the Quadruple Aim of Health Equity. Thus, we examine multifaceted HE interventions and provide evidence for scalable real-world interventions to promote equitable CV care.

Keywords: American College of Cardiology (ACC); cardiovascular disparities; community engagement and partnerships; health equity; health equity education; health equity frameworks; innovative health care technology; racial and ethnic health disparities; social determinants of health (SDOH); workforce diversity in cardiology.

Publication types

Review