WGU D568 DMN1 TASK 3: CLOSING HEALTHCARE
DISPARITIES
HEALTH EQUITY AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH — D568
PRFA — DMN1
Preparation Overview Submissions Evaluation Report
COMPETENCIES
7094.5.3 : Analyzes Strategies to Improve Health Equity
The learner analyzes strategies to improve health equity for a population.
INTRODUCTION
The task involves analyzing a community-based strategy by describing two unique or innovative elements
involved in its development and explaining their importance. Learners will also explain one health
outcome of the strategy and discuss the significance of collecting outcomes on strategies. Additionally,
learners will describe an approach to apply a community-based strategy in an education setting, identify
potential disparities, and discuss the health outcomes that might be impacted, using a current, relevant,
credible source to support your response.
SCENARIO
The following scenario is based on "A Case Study in Anti-Racist Organizing: Closing Healthcare
Disparities in Greensboro by Focusing on Structural Racism" (Bridgespan Group, 2002).
The National Academy of Medicine reported that white patients complete cancer treatments at a 7%
higher rate than black patients. The nationwide report showed that people of color receive lower-quality
healthcare and concluded that differences in treatment contribute to higher death rates for people of
color. The report showed that this was not due to people’s behavior, culture, economic status, genetics,
insurance status, or age, but rather was the result of the system and structure within which they live.
Structural racism breeds racial disparities and inequity, with health inequity contributing to poor health
outcomes. The treatment that black women in particular receive in the healthcare system is an additional
factor contributing to health disparities.
Breast cancer and lung cancer were specifically targeted for this case study.
, Greensboro is located in Guilford County, North Carolina. It is a city with a population just under 300,000,
a poverty rate of 17.44%, and median age of 34.5 years. The population is 43.12% black and 43.56%
white. North Carolina has a higher percentage of cancer incidence and higher mortality than those of the
United States overall, including breast and lung cancer. Most notably, black North Carolinians are
disproportionally impacted.
Community-based Strategy
The Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative (GHDC) is a group made up of community leaders and
advocates, public health researchers, and healthcare professionals working to close the racial gap in
health outcomes and improve treatment. This group worked to address the breast and lung cancer health
disparity problem by developing a strategy to improve health equity. The strategy was designed to
promote the anti-racism principles of transparency and accountability at the community, organizational,
and interpersonal levels. Informed by patient focus groups, the strategy had many components at each
level, including introducing health equity training at the institutions, working with the healthcare system
to recognize that systemic racism was occurring, tracking data on care quality disaggregated by patient
race in real time, and providing race-specific feedback for providers regarding treatments. They also
introduced nurse navigators who worked to improve communication between the medical center and the
patients, offering data-informed follow-up to enhance the healthcare system’s accountability to patient
needs and serving as patient advocates, taking action where needed.
Following the community-based strategy, the health disparity gap nearly vanished, and completion of
cancer treatment rates for black and white patients became similar. Black patients saw a completion
treatment rate of 88.4%, whereas white patients completed treatment at a rate of 89.5%.
REQUIREMENTS
Your submission must represent your original work and understanding of the course material. Most
performance assessment submissions are automatically scanned through the WGU similarity checker.
Students are strongly encouraged to wait for the similarity report to generate after uploading their work
and then review it to ensure Academic Authenticity guidelines are met before submitting the file for
evaluation. See Understanding Similarity Reports for more information.
Grammarly Note:
Professional Communication will be automatically assessed through Grammarly for Education in most
performance assessments before a student submits work for evaluation. Students are strongly
encouraged to review the Grammarly for Education feedback prior to submitting work for evaluation, as
the overall submission will not pass without this aspect passing. See Use Grammarly for Education
Effectively for more information.
Microsoft Files Note:
Write your paper in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) unless another Microsoft product, or pdf, is specified
in the task directions. Tasks may not be submitted as cloud links, such as links to Google Docs, Google
Slides, OneDrive, etc. All supporting documentation, such as screenshots and proof of experience, should
DISPARITIES
HEALTH EQUITY AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH — D568
PRFA — DMN1
Preparation Overview Submissions Evaluation Report
COMPETENCIES
7094.5.3 : Analyzes Strategies to Improve Health Equity
The learner analyzes strategies to improve health equity for a population.
INTRODUCTION
The task involves analyzing a community-based strategy by describing two unique or innovative elements
involved in its development and explaining their importance. Learners will also explain one health
outcome of the strategy and discuss the significance of collecting outcomes on strategies. Additionally,
learners will describe an approach to apply a community-based strategy in an education setting, identify
potential disparities, and discuss the health outcomes that might be impacted, using a current, relevant,
credible source to support your response.
SCENARIO
The following scenario is based on "A Case Study in Anti-Racist Organizing: Closing Healthcare
Disparities in Greensboro by Focusing on Structural Racism" (Bridgespan Group, 2002).
The National Academy of Medicine reported that white patients complete cancer treatments at a 7%
higher rate than black patients. The nationwide report showed that people of color receive lower-quality
healthcare and concluded that differences in treatment contribute to higher death rates for people of
color. The report showed that this was not due to people’s behavior, culture, economic status, genetics,
insurance status, or age, but rather was the result of the system and structure within which they live.
Structural racism breeds racial disparities and inequity, with health inequity contributing to poor health
outcomes. The treatment that black women in particular receive in the healthcare system is an additional
factor contributing to health disparities.
Breast cancer and lung cancer were specifically targeted for this case study.
, Greensboro is located in Guilford County, North Carolina. It is a city with a population just under 300,000,
a poverty rate of 17.44%, and median age of 34.5 years. The population is 43.12% black and 43.56%
white. North Carolina has a higher percentage of cancer incidence and higher mortality than those of the
United States overall, including breast and lung cancer. Most notably, black North Carolinians are
disproportionally impacted.
Community-based Strategy
The Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative (GHDC) is a group made up of community leaders and
advocates, public health researchers, and healthcare professionals working to close the racial gap in
health outcomes and improve treatment. This group worked to address the breast and lung cancer health
disparity problem by developing a strategy to improve health equity. The strategy was designed to
promote the anti-racism principles of transparency and accountability at the community, organizational,
and interpersonal levels. Informed by patient focus groups, the strategy had many components at each
level, including introducing health equity training at the institutions, working with the healthcare system
to recognize that systemic racism was occurring, tracking data on care quality disaggregated by patient
race in real time, and providing race-specific feedback for providers regarding treatments. They also
introduced nurse navigators who worked to improve communication between the medical center and the
patients, offering data-informed follow-up to enhance the healthcare system’s accountability to patient
needs and serving as patient advocates, taking action where needed.
Following the community-based strategy, the health disparity gap nearly vanished, and completion of
cancer treatment rates for black and white patients became similar. Black patients saw a completion
treatment rate of 88.4%, whereas white patients completed treatment at a rate of 89.5%.
REQUIREMENTS
Your submission must represent your original work and understanding of the course material. Most
performance assessment submissions are automatically scanned through the WGU similarity checker.
Students are strongly encouraged to wait for the similarity report to generate after uploading their work
and then review it to ensure Academic Authenticity guidelines are met before submitting the file for
evaluation. See Understanding Similarity Reports for more information.
Grammarly Note:
Professional Communication will be automatically assessed through Grammarly for Education in most
performance assessments before a student submits work for evaluation. Students are strongly
encouraged to review the Grammarly for Education feedback prior to submitting work for evaluation, as
the overall submission will not pass without this aspect passing. See Use Grammarly for Education
Effectively for more information.
Microsoft Files Note:
Write your paper in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) unless another Microsoft product, or pdf, is specified
in the task directions. Tasks may not be submitted as cloud links, such as links to Google Docs, Google
Slides, OneDrive, etc. All supporting documentation, such as screenshots and proof of experience, should
