Yale leaders share health-equity lessons learned from COVID-19 pandemic at upcoming summit

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders from across Yale School of Medicine will present new strategies for improving health equity, developed during their response to the COVID-19 pandemic at a summit on Wednesday, Sept.18.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Health developed a detailed plan, including the implementation of uniform protocols, precise criteria for intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and load balancing across the entire health system. These strategies and successes are outlined in the preprint study, "Implementation of Uniform Processes of Care Across an Academic Health System During the Initial COVID-19 Pandemic Surge and Their Association with Outcomes."

Yale's resulting mortality rate during the pandemic was 34% lower than the national average across all racial and ethnic groups. The Yale team says uniformity of care made a major difference in promoting health equity.

"While health equity remains a significant challenge in the United States, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Yale's action plan successfully reduced mortality rates across various patient groups," said Gary Désir, MD, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, senior author of the paper, and event host. "At this summit, we will explore how Yale's strategies reduced health care disparities. Participants will gain valuable insights and actionable strategies to implement at their institutions, fostering positive change in their communities."

"The Yale model demonstrates that equitable health outcomes can be achieved with intentional strategies. Working towards equitable health care will benefit all Americans and allow them to live their healthiest lives," said Benjamin Mba, MBBS, vice chair of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the department.

"I am delighted that our teams are sharing the valuable lessons learned so that communities across the country can implement the techniques that so greatly benefitted Connecticut residents during the pandemic," said Nancy J. Brown, MD, dean of Yale School of Medicine.

In addition to learning from the Yale model, panelists from academic medical centers nationwide will share steps they have taken to advance health equity. Marcella Nunez-Smith, MD, MHS, associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and professor Manisha Juthani, MD, are among the Yale speakers.

The event will be held at Yale's Greenberg Conference Center, 391 Prospect St., from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

SOURCE Yale School of Medicine