At Prevea Health, we believe that being adaptable to the histories (i.e. includes exclusion and trauma) of the diverse cultures of our patients, staff, physicians and communities is at the foundation of providing excellent health care. When we build inclusion, compassion and respect on top of that foundation, we create a culture of people who feel seen, heard and cared well for.

Living up to a commitment to diversity and inclusion requires first understanding and addressing the health disparities that exist in our communities. Although the term disparity is often interpreted to mean racial or ethnic disparities, many dimensions of disparity exist — particularly in health. If a health outcome is seen to a greater or lesser extent between populations, there is disparity. Race or ethnicity, sex, sexual identity, age, disability, socioeconomic status and geographic location all play a role in an individual’s ability to achieve good health.
 
It is important to recognize the impact that social determinants have on health outcomes of specific populations. Complex relationships exist between health and biology, genetics and individual behavior, and between health and health services, socioeconomic status, the physical environment, discrimination, racism, literacy levels and legislative policies. These factors, which influence health on an individual or population level, are known as social determinants of health.

Although Wisconsin ranks high in overall health care quality nationally, the state performs poorly with respect to disparities and ensuring that care is provided to all people equally.

• The Health of Wisconsin Report Card, published by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute in 2016 (their most recent report card), shows the state of Wisconsin has an overall health disparities grade of D.
• The 2020 Wisconsin Health Disparities Report: Rural and Urban Populations, developed by The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ), notes that disparities across rural and urban areas can be attributed to socioeconomic conditions, geography, health care access, utilization and cost, and the distribution of providers and health services.

At Prevea Health, we have married our mission to care for people with pride, passion and respect and our vision to be the best place to get and give care, to our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We will accomplish this through education on health disparities and social determinants while creating a culture that plays a part in invoking change.

We are committed to supporting the work that normalizes conversations related to social determinants of health. As we facilitate these conversations, we will address health disparities at the root. Our diversity, equity and inclusion work involves the sharing of insights, best practices and strategies and coupling research with science to support the alignment of interpersonal and institutional behavior within an equity framework.

According to Merriam-Webster, by definition

Inclusion is the practice of accommodating people who have historically been excluded (because of race, gender, sexuality or ability).

Diversity is an instance of being composed of differing elements or qualities.