Life is complicated and every person faces different challenges.  Financial status, culture, language, education, andeven zip code has an impact on overall physical and mental health.  These social determinants impact positive health outcomes Addressing health disparities leads to health equity and improved quality of life.  As trusted community members, healthcare professionals aware of health disparities have the opportunity to provide valuable resources.

Objectives: 

• Describe the impact of social determinants on health equity
• Compare health disparities in urban versus rural populations
• Explain unconscious bias and the impact in healthcare

Presenter:

Sandra Melstad, PH.D, MPH | Public Health Consultant; SLM Consulting LLC

Melstad is a Public Health Consultant and owner of SLM Consulting, LLC based out of Sioux Falls, SD, which is focused on improving health and achieve health equity through prevention, multi-sector collaborations, and evidence-based decision making, including policy approaches to improve health equity. Sandra has worked in public health for over 16 years and works with state, regional, and national multi-sector public health-driven organizations, health systems, and universities focused on need assessment and action planning, public health workforce capacity building and training, and evaluation. Sandra’s targeted focus has been on addressing health inequities and building the capacity of the public health workforce to address these. Sandra also currently works collaborates with multiple (governmental and non-governmental) organizations on public health issues related to opioid use, cancer prevention, and chronic disease prevention and control. Sandra holds a Master of Public Health from Tulane University and a Ph.D. in Health Sciences from the University of South Dakota. Her research interests include the public health workforce and health equity.

Co-sponsored by the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care