At Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, addressing health equity is central to the delivery of high quality, compassionate and respectful care to our patients and their families. We believe that our patients and families in our community deserve access to high-quality care, regardless of their background or circumstances. Our dedicated team of healthcare professionals works tirelessly to address the unique health needs of our vibrant and diverse communities as we strive to eliminate barriers to first-rate care. Doing so will ensure that every patient can achieve his or her healthiest potential. Our goal is to establish equitable access to exceptional care.
Terms or Words You Should Know
Equity: Ensuring that individuals are provided needed resources so they may have access to the same opportunities as the general population.
Health Equity: Efforts to ensure that all people have full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives.
Equity of Care: The provision of care that does not differ by geographic location, socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity and other patient characteristics.
Diversity: Describes the myriad ways in which people differ, including the psychological, physical and social differences that occur among all individuals, such as race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, religion, economic class, education, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, mental and physical ability, and learning styles.
Health Disparities: Preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.
Social Determinants of Health: Underlying social and economic conditions that influence people’s ability to lead healthier lives.
Social Needs: Individuals’ non-medical, social or economic circumstances that hinder their ability to stay healthy and/or recover from illness.
Wyckoff Heights Medical Center Addresses Healthcare Equity Using Various Approaches:
- We are making sure our employees are trained on diversity, inclusion, cultural sensitivity, disabilities, and other considerations that directly impact patient care, employees, and overall work environment
- Providing culturally sensitive care, regardless of your racial, ethnic, or economic background
- Screening for social determinants of health and understanding how they impact leading clinical health indicators
- Addressing the disparities in maternal (mother and babies) health outcomes for minority populations
- Focusing on NICU Health Equity
- Collaborating with community organizations to address access to health care services
As a Wyckoff patient, you will be asked detailed questions about your race, ethnic background, and language preferences. This will help Wyckoff provide more culturally sensitive care to better understand and meet the needs of our diverse community.
What to Expect When You Come to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center
When you check in for your appointment or visit the Emergency Department, a Patient Service Associate Representative (PASR) will ask you questions about your race and ethnicity, and your preferred language, which should only take a few minutes of your time. This is a critical step in our efforts to better understand your needs.
FAQs About Collecting Patient Race, Ethnicity and Primary Language Data
If I have been seeing my doctor or provider for years, don’t they have this information already?
We may have the information already, but in some instances we do not. We want to make sure we have the correct information for everyone so we can continue to ensure that everyone is getting the best quality of care regardless race or ethnicity.
Who sees this information?
Registration staff, hospital administrators and the people involved in quality improvement see this information. All patient information collected by Wyckoff is confidential and protected by the privacy laws that protect you and your confidential information.
What if I don’t want to answer the race/ethnicity questions?
Answering these questions is voluntary, but answering will help Wyckoff to better serve each individual patient. This information is increasingly being required by the agencies that provide hospital accreditation nationwide, and will make it possible to monitor the nation’s progress in providing high quality care to all patients.