2019 Direct Services Grant Program NOFA 2019 Direct Services NOFA | Page 5

FACTORS THAT IMPACT HEALTH AND THE
ROLE OF HEALTH EQUITY
Georgians should be able to live, work, learn, play and pray in environments where they can
engage in healthy behaviors and access quality healthcare. Yet within many Georgia communities,
there are social, cultural, and environmental conditions that impact residents’ health. Creating
healthy environments for all Georgians requires active involvement by all segments of the
community, including persons most affected by inequities, health providers, schools, government,
businesses, and faith-based organizations.
Although health disparities are more commonly viewed through the lens of race and ethnicity,
they occur across many dimensions, including socioeconomic status, age, location, gender,
disability status, and sexual orientation. The health of Georgians is influenced not only by an
individual’s knowledge of health risks, access to quality healthcare, and personal health behaviors;
but also, the physical environment where people live, the jobs they hold, and the income they
receive. Data show that a person’s physical environment as well as social and economic factors
(e.g. education, employment, income) contribute just as equally to health outcomes (50%) as
healthy behaviors and access to clinical care (50%). 3 Profound disparities in health may start prior
to birth, extend through adolescence, continue into adulthood and contribute significantly to an
individual’s ability to attain their fullest potential for health.
In accordance with our vision, Healthcare Georgia Foundation seeks to achieve greater health
equity for all Georgians and utilizes the following key definitions as underlying themes to our
work.
• Health Equity: where all people attain their fullest potential for health and well-being.
• Health Disparity: a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social,
demographic, economic, and/or environmental disadvantages. 4
• Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): Conditions in the environments in which people
are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health,
functioning, and quality of life outcomes and risks. 5
The health of Georgians is influenced by the
physical environment in which they live, the jobs
they hold, and the income they receive.
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3
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. County Health Ranking Model. Retrieved on June 10, 2019 at http://
www.countyhealthrankings.org/what-is-health
4 Healthy People 2020. Retrieved at https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/foundation-health-measures/disparities
5 Healthy People 2020. Retrieved at https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-of-health
Healthcare Georgia Foundation
◼
2019 Direct Services Grant Program NOFA
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Issued June 25, 2019
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