Equity and Disparities in Indiana
In order to address the issue of health care disparities, the state of Indiana has established an Office of Minority Health. The Office of Minority Health develops initiatives to address health disparities of minorities, and must work existing minority health coalitions to implement new programs, providing funding, and collect data.1 The state’s efforts to collect data regarding race and ethnicity to address health disparities can also be seen through the data collection efforts of the State Health Data Center. The State Health Data Center is required to collect and maintain health data regarding gender and ethnicity.2 Additionally, the Board for the Coordination of Programs Serving Vulnerable Individuals must collaborate with local agencies to create a central database for standardized, disaggregated, race-specific data collection and to enhance the quality of care given to vulnerable populations.3