Measuring for Improvement: The Health Disparities Calculator (HD*Calc)

The personal and economic costs of cancer health disparities are incalculable. The medically underserved are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage diseases that might have been treated more effectively or even cured if diagnosed earlier.  To effectively improve the health of our communities we need to understand and address these disparities.  Yet, before we address them systematically, we first must measure and then continue to monitor them.

The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Research to Reality (R2R) July cyber-seminarwill explore efforts and tools to help researchers and practitioners monitor and evaluate community health disparities.  The seminar will highlight the NCI tool, the Health Disparities Calculator (HD*Calc). HD*Calc is freely available statistical software designed to generate multiple summary measures to evaluate and monitor health disparities (HD). Dr. Nancy Breen and her colleagues from the NCI will provide an overview and demonstration of the tool and its purpose.  Dr. Eva Wong of the Seattle and King County (WA) Health Department will then share how Seattle/King used the tool first to evaluate health disparities in their county.  Dr. Wong will also share how HC*Calc helped them improve the programs they implement to address these disparities. 

Join us in and learn about this exciting resource and how you might use it in your own research or community to address disparities.