“I think it’s a collaboration. I think we’ve got to put the community in the same room with people who are healthcare providers.”
Executive Director of the Detroit Association of Black Organizations Rev. Dr. Horace Sheffield III was one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Health Transformational Summit, organized by the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute. He says correcting healthcare disparities begins with our most vulnerable populations.
“In many instances now, some are for-profit are actually making the technology and the healthcare available to people who may not necessarily afford it or look like them.”
According to a 2026 GRAAHI report, Black Kent County residents experience more measured disparities than any other racial or ethnic group, especially across mortality, poverty, and maternal-child health outcomes.
Nancy Reed is Healthcare Director at Genentech, an event sponsor. She says a long-term strategy that includes patients and community being held accountable is necessary to bridge the gap.
“Once we do that and stick to the course and not change it, we’ll have long-term results, but we have to have community and patient involvement.”
According to a recent National Institutes of Health study, racial and ethnic health disparities carry an estimated $451 billion economic cost within a single year.
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