Tips to Promote Health Equity Among Communities
The COVID-19 pandemic has come as a significant challenge for the world, but it teaches us a lot of lessons. One of these lessons is that health is the biggest blessing, and those who have it are the most fortunate. Therefore, we need to take care of this bounty and ensure that we take enough steps to maintain it. The second biggest lesson it has to teach is that facing a healthcare crisis, or any crisis per se, is not possible alone. We can only deal with a global breakdown or outbreak by making collective efforts. And this is only possible through the combined role of different communities.
But when we talk about communities, we realize that there are underlying challenges that refrain them from making a solid effort. We cannot find a one united voice within them to tackle an issue effectively. It is because we see a disparity in the world’s treatment toward different groups. While some of them have all the resources to overcome any issue, others severely lag. Due to their consistent lack of access to facilities, they are often the worst-hit by any crisis, whether it is the financial recession or a pandemic.
Understandably, the solution, in this case, is only in increasing parity within the communities. The world must make every community on par with others. Doing so will provide a level-playing field and resolve issues across the board. But how can we promote health equity among communities? Let’s find out.
- Impart Education to Them
The first crucial step to bring equity to any community is to equip it with the relevant knowledge. If they are not well educated, they may not be able to grasp the message entirely. At this point, it depends on the literacy level of a community. You may encourage young individuals to earn a masters of public health online and gain additional knowledge. For others, you can provide basic knowledge about varying issues. It can be related to basic hygiene and why it is essential to maintain it. You may also offer them awareness about the importance of becoming self-sufficient, among other things.
- Remove Language Barrier
The second important aspect of promoting equity is to make sure that there are no language barriers. This barrier proves to be a significant impediment and keeps people far from changing their lifestyle. It may also hinder their efforts to bring any tangible change within the community. But this does not mean we should change the medium of the language. Instead, we should disseminate information in their language. For this purpose, the most useful tool is to send translators with the designated teams. This approach will not only make them understand your message, but they will feel encouraged to implement it.
- Conduct Thorough Survey
Once you have removed the language barrier, you should gather as much information as possible to gain insights. These metrics or insights hold critical importance in bringing equity among the groups. If you begin to serve them without knowing their actual needs, your efforts may prove futile. But on the other hand, working based on ground realities will do wonders. Remember to use both qualitative and quantitative methods of research in your pursuit. Reach out to people, talk to them, and dig deeper to discover what is lacking there. Know their sentiments and get aligned with their emotions to be able to provide real help.
- Disseminate Information
We have earlier talked about imparting education within the communities to bring in the difference. But, if you look at it carefully, then it is a long-term plan. It requires planning and projects over the timespan of months. However, when a particular crisis hits any community, then we should execute a different strategy. Only through this, it will be possible to bring health equity in any social group. For instance, in the case of a pandemic, we’ll need to convey essential information to them to safeguard them against any potential infection.
- Provide Basic Amenities
Like the necessary knowledge, we need to make sure if the communities have equity in terms of the required amenities. If a specific group does not have the facilities, they won’t be able to take care of themselves regardless of their information level. Therefore, it is essential to ensure if they have all facilities in place. The fact is that providing them the required facilities is the first step to promote health equity in the community. Once they have the basics, they will accept the health instructions from their local authorities more willingly and proactively. When this happens, then success is achieved because it becomes more like a balanced relationship between providing facilities and asking them to utilize them.
- Build Their Confidence
To ensure health equity in any community, we need to make sure that the circumstances are ripe. To convince them to be on par with other developed societies, we need to take some confidence-building measures. It is imperative to win their hearts and take measures to ensure their access to facilities. Other confidence-building steps will include interacting to discover their problems. But remember that this will need to take place regularly and frequently. Once you have won the trust, bringing the much-needed equity will become possible. Make the community feel it is crucial, deserving rightful equity in facilities and resources.
Last Few Words
Bringing health equity within the communities is never an easy task, but it is not impossible. It begins with gaining crucial information about the concerned group. Then, it requires that you obtain vital information about their wants and needs. Afterward, it would help if you worked to bring equity in terms of the necessities and amenities. You must also ensure that they have ample resources to overcome health crises, such as a pandemic. It is also essential to make sure that the authorities don’t treat a community differently. Last but not least, winning their confidence is the key to providing equally proportionate facilities to them.
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