According to Thornton et al. (2016), “Despite improvements in medical care and in disease prevention, health disparities persist and may be increasing for chronic conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer” (p. 1416), but health policy can serve as a form of intervention to address these health disparities. Whether the policy is directed at funding, education, or specific healthcare practices, identifying the health disparities, why they exist, and to whom they impact is a necessary component to improving overall public health.
During the next week, you will explore the how healthcare policy can help to address disparities that impact vulnerable, marginalized, or stigmatized populations. You will continue to explore the population you identified in Week 1 in order to determine a specific policy advocacy priority.
