Health Equity
The state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.
Health Equity VS. Health Equality
Health equity calls for social justice in healthcare, prioritizing treatment and care based on need, while equality calls for equal treatment for all patients.
Health equity refers to the concept of providing every individual with a fair and just opportunity to achieve their optimal level of health. It is different from health equality, which focuses on treating everyone equally. Health equity emphasizes the importance of social justice in healthcare by prioritizing treatment and care based on an individual’s needs, rather than on predetermined factors such as race, gender, or socio-economic status.
Various factors influence health equity, including income, housing, race/ethnicity, employment, and gender. These factors can significantly impact the quality of healthcare available to individuals and their ability to access it.
In Will County, the poverty rate stands at 7.1%, which can potentially impact access to quality healthcare. Furthermore, 6.6% of the population in the county is uninsured, and this number has been fluctuating since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The percentage of uninsured
individuals grew from 7.88% in 2020 to 8.1% in 2021, highlighting the impact of the pandemic on healthcare disparities.
One of the factors affecting access to healthcare in the county is the 1847-1 client to physician ratio, which suggests a shortage of physicians. As a result, individuals may face longer wait times, reduced access to specialized care, and higher healthcare costs.
Overall, understanding health equity and the factors that impact it is crucial in addressing healthcare disparities and ensuring that every individual has access to quality healthcare, regardless of their socio-economic status, gender, or race.
Factors – Health Equity
- Income
- Housing
- Race/Ethnicity
- Employment
- Gender
Statistics – Will County
- Poverty Rate – 7.1%
- 6.6% of the population is uninsured, which number of uninsured population has been fluctuating each year since 2020 (Covid-19)
- From 2020 to 2021, the percentage of uninsured people grew from 7.88% to 8.1%
- 1847 – 1 client to physician ratio