In 1985, the groundbreaking “Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health” called the “tragic dilemma” of health disparities among minority communities “an affront to both our ideals and the ongoing genius of American medicine.” More than 25 years later, these disparities persist, even as recognition of their reach and efforts to eliminate them have grown. According to the recently introduced Health Equity and Accountability Act, “Health disparities are a function of not only access to health care, but also the social determinants of health—including the environment, the physical structure of communities, nutrition and food options, …
