Biomaterial Database

Addressing Structural Racism Through Public Policy Advocacy: A Policy Statement From the American Heart Association. 2024

Michelle A Albert, and Keith Churchwell, and Nihar Desai, and Janay C Johnson, and Michelle N Johnson, and Amit Khera, and Jennifer H Mieres, and Fatima Rodriguez, and Gladys Velarde, and David R Williams, and Joseph C Wu, and

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Heart Association created a new 2024 Impact Goal with health equity at its core, in recognition of the increasing health disparities in our country and the overwhelming evidence of the damaging effect of structural racism on cardiovascular and stroke health. Concurrent with the announcement of the new Impact Goal was the release of an American Heart Association presidential advisory on structural racism, recognizing racism as a fundamental driver of health disparities and directing the American Heart Association to advance antiracist strategies regarding science, business operations, leadership, quality improvement, and advocacy. This policy statement builds on the call to action put forth in our presidential advisory, discussing specific opportunities to leverage public policy in promoting overall well-being and rectifying those long-standing structural barriers that impede the progress that we need and seek for the health of all communities. Although this policy statement discusses difficult aspects of our past, it is meant to provide a forward-looking blueprint that can be embraced by a broad spectrum of stakeholders who share the association's commitment to addressing structural racism and realizing true health equity.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011640	Public Policy	A course or method of action selected, usually by a government, from among alternatives to guide and determine present and future decisions.	Social Policy,Affirmative Action,Migration Policy,Population Policy,Social Protection,Action, Affirmative,Migration Policies,Policies, Migration,Policies, Population,Policies, Public,Policies, Social,Policy, Migration,Policy, Population,Policy, Public,Policy, Social,Population Policies,Protection, Social,Public Policies,Social Policies
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000069576	Health Equity	Opportunity to attain full health potential and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of their social position or other socially determined circumstance.	Equity, Health
D000091722	Systemic Racism	Processes of racism that are embedded in laws (local, state, and federal), policies, and practices of society and its institutions that provide advantages to racial groups deemed as superior, while differentially oppressing, disadvantaging, or otherwise neglecting racial groups viewed as inferior. Differential access to the goods, services, and opportunities of society by race. Institutionalized racism is normative, sometimes legalized, and often manifests as inherited disadvantage. It is structural, having been codified in our institutions of custom, practice, and law, so there need not be an identifiable perpetrator. (ttps://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/programs‐impact/sdoh.htm)	Institutional Racism,Institutionalized Racism,Structural Racism,Systematic Racism,Institutionalized Racisms,Racism, Institutional,Racism, Institutionalized,Racism, Structural,Racism, Systematic,Racism, Systemic,Racisms, Systematic,Structural Racisms,Systematic Racisms
D000572	American Heart Association	A voluntary organization concerned with the prevention and treatment of heart and vascular diseases.	American Heart Associations,Association, American Heart,Associations, American Heart,Heart Association, American,Heart Associations, American
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D058873	Pandemics	Epidemics of infectious disease that have spread to many countries, often more than one continent, and usually affecting a large number of people.	Pandemic
D063505	Racism	Differential treatment or unequal access to opportunities, based on group membership such as origin or ethnicity.	Everyday Racism,Covert Racism,Racial Bias,Racial Discrimination,Racial Prejudice,Bias, Racial,Discrimination, Racial,Discriminations, Racial,Prejudice, Racial,Prejudices, Racial,Racial Discriminations,Racial Prejudices,Racism, Covert,Racism, Everyday