Health equity

We prioritize equitable healthcare delivery, understanding that personal characteristics or backgrounds should never limit someone’s access to high-quality medical care. Our dedication to equity ensures that our services meet the needs of our patients, no matter their cultural, social, or economic backgrounds.

The Blueprint for Health Equity and Inclusion guides the work of the Center for Health Equity Advancement and outlines the ways Penn Medicine advances health equity across its operations:

• Research and Evaluation: Gathering evidence for how health systems achieve equitable care and inclusive clinical, working, and learning environments.
• Care Transformation: Redefining how we deliver care to ensure it meets the needs of all patients no matter how they define themselves.
• Education and Training: Empowering stakeholders across the enterprise and across all levels of their careers with the core concepts and skills needed to advance equity within their area.
• Workforce: Creating a welcoming workforce through a strategic focus on building environments and policies that respect all cultures and backgrounds.
• Community Engagement: Engaging community stakeholders to develop and implement data-driven interventions that address the community- and population-level barriers to receiving high-quality health care and achieving optimal health.

We know that healthcare disparities cannot be solved only within our healthcare system. We participate in several programs and initiatives aimed at enhancing the overall health and well-being of the communities in which our patients live, learn, work, worship, and play.

We provide resources to patients to help avoid falls, including:

• Community outreach programs: We actively engage with local communities, collaborating with various organizations to address healthcare disparities, provide education, and promote preventive care measures.
• Cultural competency training: Our staff participates in regular training to enhance cultural competency. This helps to ensure we practice cultural humility and effectively engage with and understand all our patients.
• Pipeline programs: We invest in educational programs to encourage students in our communities to pursue careers in healthcare, expanding our talent pool and supporting future medical leaders.
• Research and innovation: Our commitment to healthcare equity is also part of our approach to research, leading to more comprehensive solutions to healthcare challenges.

In 2017, Penn Medicine signed the American Hospital Association (AHA) #123 Equity Pledge to Act to affirm and build upon our existing commitment to achieving health equity here at Penn Medicine.

We offer financial counseling and assistance programs to uninsured and under-insured patients.