Health disparities are often linked to social, economic and environmental disadvantages, underscoring the need for equity in health care. Women of color are particularly at risk of facing significant health disparities:
African-American women are nearly four times more likely to die during childbirth than are white women. They are also 23 times more likely to contract HIV than white women and have the highest breast cancer mortality rate.
Latinas are most likely to be uninsured (38 percent do not have health insurance) compared to other groups of women. They are five times more likely to contract HIV and twice as likely to develop cervical cancer than are white women.
Asian-American women have the highest rate of depressive symptoms and Vietnamese women are five times more likely to develop cervical cancer than are white women.
American Indian/Alaska Native women are twice as likely as white women to be diagnosed with diabetes. They also have the highest rates of intimate partner violence of any other racial or ethnic group.
Equity in health care means developing strategies for eliminating health disparities and addressing the underlying obstacles in place that prevent communities of color from having full access to the health care they need.
— NYSUT Women's Steering Committee