March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies released a report mandated by Congress showing that racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive lower-quality health care than whites. Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania and other area organizations have been working to address this issue in Pittsburgh and throughout the region.

"Here in Pittsburgh, we see similar patterns of disparities in health outcomes," said Ian G. Rawson, Ph. D., president of Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania. "Mortality rates for African-Americans are multiples of those of whites in areas such as infant mortality, heart disease, AIDS, asthma and kidney diseases."

In western Pennsylvania, hospitals are continuing to face mounting costs, specifically in the areas of increased salaries for workforce, increased medical liability insurance and increased costs of technology. At the same time, hospital revenues have decreased.

"As a result of this, many important programs for low-income and minority patients have either closed or are now imperiled," Rawson said. "Hospitals in this region have traditionally served all persons regardless of their ability to pay, but as economic conditions have declined, this level of service cannot be continued into the future."

There are several local organizations working on these issues, Rawson said. "Local organizations which have been concerned about these issues, such as Hospital Council and the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Minority Health, recognize that these disparities in health outcomes are directly related to disparities in income, housing, education and employment opportunities. Until these root causes of racial disparities in health are addressed in a formal and community-wide basis, we will continue to see these statistics reflecting health inequities."

Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania, a membership-based organization of more than 80 health care organizations in a 30-county region, will continue to address disparity issues as one its priorities along with other community partners. "Now is the time for a broad-based community dialogue on this issue, so that we may address these concerns and begin to reduce the trends indicated in the Institute of Medicine study," Rawson said.

Source: Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania

Contact: Patricia J. Jurczak of the Hospital Council of Western
Pennsylvania, +1-724-772-7202