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THE CLIFF

We can reduce health disparities and better connect people to high-quality medical care, but to really make a difference, we need to address the social determinants of health and equity that protect some people and push others off the cliff.

IN SICKNESS AND IN WEALTH

What connections exist between healthy bodies, healthy bank accounts, and skin color? Four individuals from different walks of life demonstrate how one’s position in society – shaped by social policies and public priorities – affects health.

“In Sickness and In Wealth” travels to Louisville, Kentucky, not to examine health care but to discover what makes us sick in the first place. The lives of a CEO, lab supervisor, janitor and unemployed mother illustrate how social class shapes access to power, resources and opportunity, resulting in a health-wealth gradient. On average, people at the top live longer, healthier lives. Those at the bottom are more disempowered, get sicker more often and die sooner. Most of us fall somewhere in between.

AAMC

Achieving health equity requires reaching beyond the clinic and into communities. In this short video, the AAMC’s Diversity Policy and Programs division shines a spotlight on the social determinants of health and how they shape an individual’s opportunity for quality health and healthcare. The goal is to inspire changes that lead to the elimination of health disparities.