The figures are eye-catching.
Blacks have a 35 percent higher age-adjusted mortality rate compared to whites. Blacks and Hispanics have three to four times higher discharge rates from hospitals for asthma compared to whites. Sixty-seven percent of black and Hispanic women receive adequate prenatal care compared with 83 percent of whites.
These statistics from a 2001 state Public Health Department study, "Massachusetts Health Status Indicators by Race and Hispanic Ethnicity," are evidence of racial and ethnic health disparities, which advocates argue, has been an issue for decades.
Now legislators and advocates are stepping up efforts to understand the causes and cures for these disparities.
"If people refuse to admit (the disparities) exist, then we are never going to get anywhere in this," state Rep. Byron Rushing, D-Boston, said. "There is a lot of ignorance - some of it innocent and some of it not."
Rushing said problems cannot be solved within the current structure of the medical-care system. To correct the problems, Rushing has developed new legislation with the statewide Disparities Action Network.
The bill creates a new state Office of Health Equity that would conduct research, collect data and evaluate state progress on ending disparities. The office would also improve health-care access, expand local and statewide workforce development, and provide support for medical interpreter services, community health workers and wellness education.
"We want the work to be as coordinated as possible, and that's what this bill does," Rushing said.
Rushing said the reasons for these disparities go back to racial and class discrimination, which he says often are overlooked.
Many of the problems were detailed by the Commission to End Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in a report released in August. The 29-member commission was established in 2004 to examine racial, ethnic and linguistic disparities in health in order to provide an action plan to address disparities.
The report stated that blacks, Hispanics, Asians and American Indians are most affected by health disparities in Massachusetts as they face a disproportionate burden of death, disease and disability.
The report also stated that factors that contribute to these disparities include the social factors such as racism, access to health care, quality of care and delivery, and workforce development and diversity.
State Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham, served as the State House chairman on the Commission to End Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Koutoujian spoke on the issue at recent health forum sponsored by Cambridge College.
"It's not just about your access to health insurance. It's not just about your own intellect. It's not just about your ability to speak English or cultural competencies," he said. "It's about the perception out there sometimes."
Health advocates agree.
Camille Watson, the racial and ethnic health disparities coordinator of Health Care for All, an advocacy group that helped draft Rushing's legislation, said the bill looks at how the health-care system in Massachusetts addresses disparities from a universal perspective.
"As the state gets more diverse, we really have to get to the root of these issues," she said.
