Dear Closing the Health Gap Community:

This spring, we’re starting something new, and it’s rooted in the same belief that launched The Center for Closing the Health Gap more than 20 years ago. That real change begins with real conversation. For years, our Annual Health Expo served as a powerful platform for health education and access. But we’ve listened to our community, and we want to meet people where they are, make space for trust, and give them tools to take charge of their health.

We are proud to introduce Speak Up for Health: Ask. Act. Advocate., the first in a new series of smaller, more focused events where your questions, concerns, and experiences lead the conversation. This isn’t just a shift in format — it’s a shift in power.

Join us Saturday, April 26 at 10 am at Woodward Career Technical High School for an interactive experience.

• Learn strategies to build stronger relationships with your healthcare team—plus the confidence to speak up
• Have one-on-one conversations with doctors who actually listen
• Gain pro tips for using MyChart and other tools to stay in control of your care
• Take home a free Health Advocacy Toolkit packed with helpful resources you can use right away

I hope you’ll join us—and invite others to do the same. Together, we can speak up, show up, and keep fighting health disparities in our community.

Renee Mahaffey Harris

President & CEO



The Growing Burden of Chronic Diseases

Chronic diseases affect approximately 60% of Americans, with many individuals suffering from more than one chronic illness. NIHCM’s latest infographic sheds light on the burden of chronic diseases in the United States, highlighting their prevalence and associated health care costs, and offering actionable strategies to address the rising rates.

Click here for the full story.

New WHO publication highlights importance of health inequality monitoring to advance health equity

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) new publication "Health inequality monitoring: harnessing data to advance health equity" highlights the critical role of effective monitoring in addressing unfair and avoidable differences in health outcomes. It consolidates key principles and emerging practices, offering technical guidance on data sources, analytical methods and strategies to translate evidence into policy action. 

Global progress over the past two decades has improved life expectancy and reduced the burden of communicable diseases. However, health disparities persist within and between countries. The 2023 WHO Universal Health Coverage Global Monitoring Report found that service coverage index scores in low-income countries averaged 53 out of 100, compared to 77 out of 100 in high-income countries. 

The new WHO publication is intended for use by public health professionals, policy makers, researchers and statisticians. It emphasizes the critical need to collect and analyze disaggregated data – by income, gender, education, age and geography – and outlines how to apply this information to inform equity-focused policies and programmes.

Click here for the full story.

Cardiovascular Health Among Rural and Urban US Adults—Healthcare, Lifestyle, and Social Factors

Cardiovascular mortality is substantially higher among the nearly 60 million US adults living in rural areas relative to their urban counterparts. Improving cardiovascular health in rural areas has become a national priority, with several recent initiatives intensifying calls for a better understanding of the drivers of worse cardiovascular outcomes in this population (eg, the Department of Health and Human Services Rural Action Plan and an American Heart Association Presidential Advisory). However, little is known about the current state of cardiovascular health among rural US individuals, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately worsened socioeconomic conditions in rural communities.

Several prior studies have attempted to examine the underlying factors driving rural-urban health disparities. One prevailing explanation is inadequate access to health care in rural settings due to a deteriorating health infrastructure (eg, rural hospital closures), a declining supply of primary care clinicians, and gaps in insurance coverage—especially in states that have elected not to expand Medicaid.

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Gutting US health agency will allow for private sector takeover, experts warn

Massive job cuts planned for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will pave the way for takeover of crucial services by the private sector, imperiling the US in future health emergencies, health experts and Democratic politicians warn. Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced the department would layoff 20,000 workers from its roughly 82,000-person workforce on Thursday, or nearly a quarter of the department’s headcount.

"People out there need to understand the impact on them personally," said Patty Murray, a senator for Washington state and the party’s ranking member of the Senate appropriations committee. "Preventing pandemics costs something. Failing to prevent them costs a lot more. All of this is making us less prepared for the next public health emergency."

Click here for the full story.

The Connection Between Public Health and Social Justice

Public health and social justice share a common goal: ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to live a healthy, fulfilling life. While public health focuses on preventing disease and promoting well-being, social justice emphasizes equity and fairness. Together, public health and social justice create a framework for addressing systemic inequalities that disproportionately affect marginalized communities.

Public health workers operate where these two fields intersect, acting as catalysts for change and advocates for underserved populations. Their work highlights how addressing social determinants of health can lead to more equitable healthcare outcomes. At its core, public health is about more than preventing disease. It’s about creating the conditions in which everyone can thrive. Social justice provides the foundation for this work by challenging the systems and structures that perpetuate inequality. By focusing on equity, public health professionals can ensure that resources and care are distributed fairly.

Click here for the full story.