WBGH & Pfizer Partner To Address Cardiovascular Disease In Targeted Minority Populations.

The Washington Business Group on Health (WBGH) has launched a new campaign — WBGH Health Disparities Initiative: Promoting Health for a Culturally Diverse Workforce — to address the growing need for reducing longstanding health
disparities between minority and majority groups in the United States.

“Health care disparities hurt employees and their families, reduce productivity, and increase serious disabilities and death,” said Helen Darling, president of WBGH. “Our workforce is becoming more multi-ethnic and the Business Group, along with several leading employers, is committed to closing the gap in access, treatment, and quality of care between whites and members of minority groups in the workplace.”

Led by a WBGH employer council and assisted by a Technical Advisory Board — a distinguished group of policy, academic, and government leaders — the initiative brings the nation’s leading employers on board in the pursuit of the Healthy People 2010 goal of reducing health disparities by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.

Pfizer, the first sponsor in this broad initiative, will work with WBGH on reducing cardiovascular health disparities in African-American and Latino communities. “We are pleased that Pfizer joined forces with us on this valuable project to eliminate racial and ethnic barriers in care,” said Darling. “The Business Group greatly values this relationship because it allows us to address these problems in a deeper and much more meaningful way than would be possible without their support.”

Pfizer Health Solutions (PHS), Pfizer’s Employer Initiatives Group, and Pfizer’s Cardiovascular Team have combined to represent Pfizer in this collaborative partnership. “Rolling out a new program in conjunction with the Business Group is exciting news for our company,” said Nancy Steele, Vice President, PHS. “We have a longstanding commitment to minority health and disease prevention/management, so this program fits perfectly with our mission. We are thrilled to be the first sponsors to support this innovative initiative.”

WBGH will work with Pfizer’s teams to develop an employer toolkit for cardiovascular disease prevention and management, one of six focus areas identified in Healthy People 2010, the nation’s health objectives for the 21st century set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services. The cardiovascular disease project, the first step in WBGH’s larger initiative, comprises several components including key facts about health disparities, culturally-competent patient education materials, information on best practices, and a health risk assessment tool.

A national dialogue on this issue began in January 2001 when corporate executives and policymakers met at a WBGH forum, sponsored by the U.S. Surgeon General’s office. At this exploratory meeting, participants shared their own challenges in determining the scope of health disparities within their workforces. Based on the level of interest and the need for more information, the Business Group decided to pursue a comprehensive initiative, not only to inform employers about the prevalence of health disparities, but also to develop practical tools to improve health outcomes.

Members of ethnic minority groups will make up 41.5 percent of the entering workforce between 1998 and 2008. With studies revealing the striking differences in health care treatment and outcomes between minorities and whites, leading employers recognize that developing strategies to eliminate disparities makes good business sense.

Founded in 1974, the Washington Business Group on Health (WBGH) is the only national non-profit organization exclusively devoted to providing practical solutions and innovative policies to its large employer members’ most important health care problems. Recognized as the leading voice of large employers on their most important health issues, WBGH represents its constituency on the nation’s most critical health issues. WBGH members are typically Fortune 500 companies and large public sector employers-including the nation’s most innovative health care purchasers-who provide health coverage for more than 39 million U.S. workers, retirees, and their families. The Business Group fosters the development of a quality health care delivery system and treatments based on scientific evidence of effectiveness. WBGH works with other organizations to promote patient safety and expand the use of technology assessment to ensure access to superior new technology and the elimination of ineffective technology.

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