Community-Academic Health Center Partnerships for Underserved Minority Populations: One Solution to a National Crisis

NOWHERE are the national issues concerning health care more magnified than in underserved minority populations that suffer significantly higher rates of premature morbidity, disability, and mortality than the rest of the US population. It is noteworthy that the majority of the causes of this disparity, such as smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, substance abuse, violence, and various cancers, are either preventable or treatable and controllable. Whatever emerges from national health care system reform, it will be insufficient if we do not make significant progress in decreasing the gap in the health status of underserved, minority populations. Communities of underserved minority populations are frequently found in the same locale as are academic health centers. In fact, of the 126 academic health centers, approximately 75% are found in circumstances of this nature.¹ The mission of such centers is to gain new knowledge through research to enhance the health of the public, as well.