Health Equity

Millions of people in the United States face health disparities related to social and economic factors, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and income. Understanding and addressing disparities is critical to improving health equity nationwide. See the subpage on disparities in maternal health to learn more about that particular aspect of health equity.

NFPRHA's Work

NFPRHA supports policy and service delivery efforts aimed to eliminate barriers that may contribute to disparities in the health care system. Through education and advocacy, NFPRHA promotes access to high-quality information and health care, including family planning and sexual health services, for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, employer or insurance status. NFPRHA supports policy proposals that remove nationality and citizenship requirements for coverage and care, improve opportunities for training in cultural competency, and direct resources to safety-net providers. NFPRHA believes that an intersectional approach that includes both service delivery and policy considerations that address social determinants of health, a concept foundational to reproductive justice, is necessary to eliminate avoidable health inequities and disparities.

Resources

NFPRHA Fact Sheets, Comments, and Reports

NFPRHA Supports the “HEAL for Immigrant Women and Families Act” - Information on proactive legislation that would remove barriers to health coverage for immigrants (November 2019).
Policy Solutions to Improving Access to Coverage for Immigrants (PDF) - Report on state and local programs expanding immigrants' access to health coverage (June 2016).
Title X Policy Brief - Helping Ensure Access to High Quality Care (PDF) - Background on the health disparities facing the Title X network's most vulnerable patient populations (March 2015).

Resources on Public Charge

NFPRHA's comments opposing public charge (PDF) (December 2018).
NFPRHA In Focus piece on public charge (PDF) (November 2018).

	NFPRHA's Position
	The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) believes that health equity can only be achieved by recognizing and responding to complex and integrated factors, including the unequal distribution of resources, which have created persistent health disparities. These social and economic factors that affect the health of people and vulnerable communities, also known as social determinants of health, include income, employment and job security, food security, housing conditions, access to health services and insurance status, early childhood development, education, employment, stigma, exclusion and historical trauma, among other social and economic conditions.

NFPRHA's Position

Abortion

The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) believes that health equity can only be achieved by recognizing and responding to complex and integrated factors, including the unequal distribution of resources, which have created persistent health disparities. These social and economic factors that affect the health of people and vulnerable communities, also known as social determinants of health, include income, employment and job security, food security, housing conditions, access to health services and insurance status, early childhood development, education, employment, stigma, exclusion and historical trauma, among other social and economic conditions.

Happening Now

On June 3, 2020, NFPRHA issued a statement on the impact of racism on people's lives and health.
Visit the HEAL For Immigrant Women and Families website to learn more about the bill and sign on to endorse it.
Visit the Protecting Immigrant Families website to learn about the recently finalized public charge rule, which has been temporarily blocked by the courts. The campaign has resources for health centers, community members, and state and local health departments.

NFPRHA Social Media Guidance (PDF) (October 2018).
Resources from the Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign - Factsheets, talking points, and resources for service providers to share with patients (November 2018).
Kaiser Family Foundation Resource on Implications for Health Coverage - How public charge could impact immigrants' access to public health insurance programs (September 2018).
How Could the Public Charge Proposed Rule Affect Community Health Centers? - New report from the RCHN Community Health Foundation (November 2018).

Other Resources

Health Equity – American Public Health Association’s Health Equity page provides numerous resources to learn more about achieving health equity in public health (2018).
What is Health Equity? And What Difference Does a Definition Make? – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report outlining key terminology and concepts for understanding health equity (May 2017).
State Approaches to Reducing Health Disparities – National Conference of State Legislatures report providing an overview of legislation being introduced at the state level to tack health disparities (June 2017).
Reproductive Justice in the Prison System – If/When/How outlines the various barriers to health equity that incarcerated women face on a daily basis (2017).
Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Voices: The State of Black Women & Reproductive Justice Policy Report - In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda's policy, leadership, and movement building agenda (June 2017).
National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership - organization that assists with setting up legal clinics within health centers (2018).

For additional resources & information, access NFPRHA fact sheets and federal comments by issue or read NFPRHA's publications and recent press statements.

Health Equity

NFPRHA's Work

Resources

Happening Now

Issues

National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association