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Originally published in the AIDS Weekly October 18, 2004

Copyright 2004 AIDS Weekly via NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net

A lack of diversity among healthcare professionals is placing the health of at least one-third of the nation at risk.

This fact was among findings announced by the Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce in its report, "Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions."

"Access to health professions remains largely separate and unequal," said commission chair Louis W. Sullivan, MD. "We know that minority physicians, dentists and nurses are more likely to serve minority and medically underserved populations, yet there is a severe shortage of minorities in the health professions. Without much more diversity in the health workforce, minorities will continue to suffer."

From cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS to diabetes and mental health, African Americans, Hispanic Americans and American Indians tend to receive less and lower quality healthcare than whites, contributing to higher mortality rates. The consequences of health disparities resulting from the lack of an adequately diverse and trained workforce may be as great a problem for minorities as is the lack of health insurance for more than 44 million Americans.

The 16-member commission calls for a new vision for healthcare focusing on excellence and ensuring equality of high-quality care for all. Three overlying principles are central to the commission's findings.

1. To increase diversity in the health professions, the culture of health professions schools must change. Colleges, universities, health systems and other organizations must examine the practices of their own institutions.

2. New and nontraditional paths to the health professions must be explored. Major improvements in the K-12 educational system are needed but health professions schools cannot remain stagnant while these improvements take shape.

3. Commitments must be made at the highest levels. Change can happen when institutional leaders support change.

The report identifies 37 specific action steps.

The independent commission was funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and is administered by the Duke University School of Medicine as part of larger efforts to address the problem of diversity in health professions.

This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2004, AIDS Weekly via NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net.