CareSource’s Commitment to Health Equity

“Health Equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and healthcare.” -Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Health equity isn’t an industry buzzword. Nathan Reiter Social Determinants of Health Strategy Lead of Health Equity at CareSource shares that CareSource considers it as our collective responsibility to take action and create an environment of empathy for how we serve the most vulnerable among us.

Many of our members are in the midst of chronic stress, which is often exacerbated by health conditions, family dynamics, housing instability, underemployment, stigma or marginalization for being part of a minority group, and much more. These stressors create health disparities and are closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantages.

Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health based on their:

• Racial or ethnic group
• Religion
• Socioeconomic status
• Gender
• Age
• Mental health
• Disability
• Sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression
• Geographic location
• Other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion

CareSource members are diverse, representing many different racial and ethnic groups, the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals with disabilities and individuals with a multitude of unique experiences and cultural backgrounds.

CareSource is committed to achieving health equity for all of our members. The diversity of our membership is a tremendous asset to the community.

Health disparities can be prevented if the right programs and actions are established and initiated, leading to health equity. CareSource works to achieve health equity by building partnerships and programs to address health disparities and create opportunities for our members to reach optimal health.  

Health equity remains the central vision and ultimate goal. Our health equity strategy is directly connected to our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) approach. Together, they form one collective mission of increasing DEI, while pursuing health equity for all.

The CareSource commitment in action:

• Examining everything with a health equity lens
• Raising awareness for health disparities and removing barriers to health equity
• Pursuing inclusion for our members, providers, and partners
• Reducing and eliminating health disparities
• Advocating for and driving change