Equity in healthcare is multifaceted. Let’s dive into a few examples.

1. A person with a comprehensive insurance plan walks into a prestigious hospital in one part of town. A homeless person with no assets or health insurance lands in a hospital in the inner city. They would receive the same treatment in a perfect world, yet we know that is not the case. Equitable treatment means that they both receive the treatment necessary; they hopefully both receive the attention that leads to a cure.
2. Equity can also involve the doctor listening and understanding their patient. There can be mistrust when the doctor doesn’t speak the same language as their patients or is perceived not to understand the health issues of a specific population.
3. We can also approach equity in the practice and treatment of those professionals we entrust with our care. We expect them to be there and ready, forgetting they are human beings, and that medicine is not black and white. The cure might not be the same when two people come into the care facility with the same symptoms.