Report on the SCAN Foundation’s Initiative to Advance Healthcare Equity and Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction

On July 10, the Senior Care Action Network (SCAN) Foundation convened a meeting to address critical issues in healthcare equity for aging populations. The event highlighted the organization’s commitment to advancing several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on health, equality, and strong institutions. The SCAN Foundation’s work aims to create a society where individuals can age with dignity and purpose, directly confronting systemic barriers that impede this vision.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The SCAN Foundation’s core mission directly supports the objectives of SDG 3, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The organization’s strategies include:

• Funding specialized healthcare programs for the elderly.
• Advocating for policies that ensure equitable access to quality healthcare.
• Strengthening health infrastructure to better serve aging and vulnerable populations.

By focusing on the elderly, a demographic often overlooked, SCAN addresses a critical component of universal health coverage.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The event underscored the profound healthcare disparities faced by marginalized communities, a central concern of SDG 10. The foundation’s work confronts inequality by:

• Amplifying the voices of individuals facing racial and economic discrimination within the healthcare system.
• Focusing on the intersection of age and race, particularly the challenges faced by the elderly Black community.
• Promoting advocacy as a tool to empower individuals and communities to demand equitable treatment.

Key Issues and Findings from the Event

Healthcare Disparities and the Call for Advocacy

Keynote speaker Dr. Stacey Gambrell Hunt presented data illustrating significant racial disparities in the medical profession, a key driver of unequal health outcomes. Her findings align with the goals of SDG 3 and SDG 10.

1. Underrepresentation: While Black individuals constitute 13% of the U.S. population, only 6% of physicians are Black, leading to a lack of representation and culturally competent care.
2. Consequences: This disparity contributes to premature mortality rates in the Black community, often resulting from inadequate care and overlooked health concerns.
3. Solution: Dr. Hunt stressed the critical importance of self-advocacy in medical settings, urging patients to demand they are valued and heard to ensure better health outcomes.

Systemic Barriers and Institutional Failures

The discussion highlighted systemic failures that prevent equitable healthcare access, a challenge related to SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), which calls for effective and inclusive institutions. Panelist Donna Hillard shared a personal account of navigating the healthcare system as a child translator for her Korean-speaking mother. This experience exemplifies institutional shortcomings, such as:

• Lack of adequate language translation services.
• Failure to provide culturally sensitive care.
• The burden placed on family members to bridge institutional gaps.

These failures demonstrate the need for stronger, more inclusive healthcare institutions that serve all members of society effectively.

Conclusion: Community Engagement for a Sustainable Future

The event successfully mobilized community members, medical experts, and organizations, demonstrating a collective commitment to addressing healthcare inequalities. As noted by Alignment Health regional sales manager Frankie Ross, such gatherings are vital for fostering hope and collaboration. The SCAN Foundation’s initiative serves as a model for community-led action that directly contributes to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, envisioning a future where healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and all individuals can age in health and dignity.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article’s central theme is healthcare, focusing on improving health outcomes for the elderly and marginalized communities.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article directly addresses healthcare disparities based on race and economic status, highlighting the need to reduce these inequalities.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The article highlights the voices and leadership of Black women health professionals and discusses the specific vulnerabilities of women in minority groups.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
     • Explanation: The article states that the “Black population tends to die prematurely” due to receiving “inadequate care.” The SCAN Foundation’s work to improve healthcare for vulnerable populations directly contributes to preventing premature deaths.
   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
     • Explanation: The article describes how individuals are “overlooked by the healthcare system” and face challenges in accessing quality care. The SCAN Foundation’s mission to fund “elder healthcare programs” and support “equity-centered healthcare policies” aims to ensure everyone, especially marginalized groups, has access to quality healthcare services.

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
     • Explanation: The SCAN Foundation’s goal is to “amplify marginalized voices” and serve “those who face race and economic discrimination.” This directly aligns with promoting the inclusion of all people, particularly the elderly and racial minorities, in society and ensuring they have a voice in their healthcare.
   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory policies and practices.
     • Explanation: The article highlights health disparities as an inequality of outcome. The foundation’s advocacy for “equity-centered healthcare policies” is a direct action to reduce these inequalities and eliminate discriminatory practices within the healthcare system.

3. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
     • Explanation: The event featured “Black women health professionals” as keynote speakers and panelists, such as Dr. Stacey Gambrell Hunt. This act promotes and showcases women, particularly women of color, in leadership roles within the public health discourse, contributing to their participation in decision-making.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)

  • Indicator: Premature mortality rates, disaggregated by race.
    • Explanation: The article’s statement that the “Black population tends to die prematurely” implies that tracking this statistic is a key measure of the problem and that a reduction would indicate progress.
  • Indicator: Access to culturally competent healthcare services.
    • Explanation: The story of a Korean woman being provided with a Spanish translator implies a lack of culturally competent care. An indicator could be the percentage of patients from non-English speaking backgrounds who are provided with appropriate translation services.

• For SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

  • Indicator: Proportion of physicians from minority groups compared to their proportion in the general population.
    • Explanation: The article provides a direct statistical indicator of inequality: “Black people make up 13% of the population in the United States yet only 6% of physicians are Black.” Closing this gap would be a measure of progress toward equal opportunity.

• For SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

  • Indicator: Proportion of women, especially from minority groups, in leadership and public-speaking roles in the healthcare sector.
    • Explanation: The article’s focus on “Black women health professionals” as speakers implies that their representation in such influential roles is an important measure of their participation and leadership in public life.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: sfbayview.com