The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) this week released its second annual Health Equity Report.
The report provides a recap of AAPA’s efforts throughout 2024 to advance health equity and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as a newly defined Health Equity Roadmap which outlines the organization’s plans in 2025 and beyond.
“Barriers rooted in inequity continue to stand between patients and the high-quality care they deserve,” wrote Lisa Bales, CPA, CEO, AAPA, in the report. “At American Academy of Physician Associates, we believe that advancing health equity is a moral obligation. We freely and fully embrace that responsibility because every patient, regardless of who they are or where they live, deserves a fair opportunity to live a healthier life.”
Despite recent cuts in federal funding to address health equity and social drivers of health, the AAPA’s report underscores its plans to continue to foster an equitable health care environment for all.
“AAPA will stay the course because health equity is not a political issue; it’s a human one,” wrote Gables. “Achieving our goals will take time and a lot of work, but by working together, we can take tremendous steps on our journey toward achieving health equity and diversity, equity, and inclusion for our organization and those we serve.
In its roadmap for 2025, AAPA outlined five pillars of health equity and DEI:
- Create a culture to advance health equity: Foster an internal environment that supports dialogue, education, and action on health equity at every level of AAPA and within the profession.
- Leverage research and enhance knowledge: Expand and promote research, education, and CME opportunities that deepen understanding of health disparities, health equity, and social drivers of health.
- Empower physician associates (PAs) to promote health equity: Equip and amplify PAs as leaders and advocates—in policy, in clinical settings, and in community-based health efforts.
- Engage communities to transform health: Strengthen community partnerships and develop scalable, innovative programs that improve health outcomes where they’re needed most.
- Create pathways to the PA profession: Build a more diverse and inclusive pipeline into PA profession by expanding awareness, access, and support for students.
The report highlighted a range of 2024 milestones, including formally transitioning AAPA’s DEI Commission, which was established in 2020, into a permanent standing committee; welcoming AAPA’s first vice president for health equity and DEI; focusing 25 percent of AAPA’s Research in Action presentations on health equity and DEI to improve access; key policy advancements; and launching its Partnership to Improve Youth Mental Health.