Stopping Discrimination Before it Starts: The Impact of Civil Rights Laws on Health Care Disparities- A Medical School Curriculum

Date of Review: April, 2021

This resource, a joint project of the National Consortium for Multicultural Education for Health Professionals (NCME), Stanford University School of Medicine, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights and the HHS Office of the General Counsel, is a detailed facilitator guide for a workshop exploring the impact of civil rights laws on healthcare disparities. It opens with background information on the social determinants of health, explores the meaning and impact of provider bias, and then moves into a more detailed discussion of the ways that title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act affects physicians, their patients, and the communities they practice in. While implementation of this workshop requires a physician and an attorney to act as co-facilitators, institutions are also given the option to reach out to the HHS Office for Civil Rights to provide support in presenting the content. The workshop is lengthy, but is designed to foster critical discussions around what it means to be agents for positive change as well as the legal obligations of ensuring culturally sensitive care. –Elizabeth Scharle, MD, NCEAS

Corresponding Author’s Email:

stonem@uthscsa.edu

Institution:

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and Department of Pharmacotherapy & Pharmacy Services, University Health

Where was the Curriculum Implemented:

San Antonio, Texas

Source of the Curriculum/Resource:

MedEdPORTAL

Outcomes that Have Been Reported for the Curriculum:

Self-reported learner attitude

Self-reported learner knowledge

Outcome and Study Design:

Post Only

Level of Learner Assessment:

Appreciation of content/attitude assessment (self-reflection, blogging with rubric)