UVA researchers calling for reduction of health disparities

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Researchers at the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins University are calling on the National Institute of Health, as well as the whole country, to take bold steps to reduce health disparities faced by people with disabilities.

“We really need to move towards action to mitigate these disparities for the disability community,” Rupa Valdez said.

Valdez is an associate professor of Public Health Sciences and Information Engineering at UVA. She says some of these disparities may not be as readily apparent as others, but still exist.

“People with disabilities are more likely to have other chronic health conditions that are not tied to an underlying disability that they have, and that results from disparities in access to care, but also from disparities in what we would call social determinants of health,” Valdez said.

These social determinants range from access to employment, to education, to social participation, and more.

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