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The College of Pharmacy and the McKesson Foundation team up for the McKesson Foundation Health Equity Speaker Series to address issues around the social determinants of health.

For decades, the existence of disparities in health and healthcare have been prevalent and it is seen in how individuals, particularly those in underserved or minority communities, have received or been granted access to treatment for those that are sick. These disparities come as a result of a variety of factors such as birthplace, housing, education, race, age, sexual identity and other nonmedical factors. These factors are commonly referred to as the social determinants of health (SDOH). As a result of these factors and others, healthcare access and treatment has been made more difficult for many who don’t fall into the dominant group and have to confront the barriers to accessing treatment. These  barriers have manifested in the form of government policies, social norms, racism, politics and others related to the social determinants of health.  (CDC, 2022)

Examples of barriers to adequate healthcare treatment include poverty, lack of access to quality education or positive social activities, and unhealthy environmental factors. These factors need to be addressed in order to begin to see more positive health outcomes and equity in access to healthcare and treatment. To help illuminate and educate around issues involving the social determinants of health, the College of Pharmacy and the McKesson Foundation have teamed up to launch the McKesson Foundation Health Equity Speaker Series. 

The McKesson Foundation is dedicated to advancing health outcomes for all and their mission is to remove barriers to quality healthcare across the country, especially for vulnerable and underserved communities.  The College of Pharmacy has a longstanding history of fighting to address disparities in healthcare and is a leader in the fight for equitable healthcare for all individuals. The alignment in the values and mission of both organizations led to the McKesson Foundation providing a grant to the College of Pharmacy to launch the speaker series to educate and help find solutions to addressing these issues.

1. Centers for Disease Control. “Social Determinants of Health at CDC”. CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/about/sdoh/index.html. Accessed February 2023.