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Every day in America, thousands of life-changing diagnoses start with a radiological image: a tumor, a polyp, a blocked artery or valve. But research and our own experiences and screening statistics show that too many people aren’t getting these images taken in time — or at all.

The Radiology Health Equity Coalition is addressing systemic challenges to more equitable imaging care and reducing health inequities for people of color, rural populations and other underserved communities.

Access the RHEC Membership Brochure to learn more.

Ten major radiology organizations are collaborating in the formation of the Radiology Health Equity Coalition to positively impact health care equity in the radiology arena and beyond. While disparities and inequities in health care have been evident for many years, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the disproportionate numbers of people of color and rural residents in the U.S. affected by barriers to care.

The Coalition, convened by the American College of Radiology, includes the American Board of Radiology, American College of Radiology, American Medical Association Section Council on Radiology, Association of University Radiologists, National Medical Association Section on Radiology and Radiation Oncology, Radiological Society of North America, Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments, Society of Interventional Radiologists, Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and American Association of Physicists in Medicine, with specialty and state Radiology organizations already joining the initiative.

This network of patient-focused radiology societies will collect, assess, and disseminate resources and best practices, advocate for and connect with patients and community members, and collaborate on programs and services to improve access and utilization of preventative and diagnostic imaging.

Would you like to know more about becoming a Coalition Partner?  Download and View the Coalition Partner 1-Pager (.pdf)

The vision and missions of radiology societies focus on continually improving patient care. Medical imaging impacts most patients at some point in their care journey, and radiology professionals have the potential to be unifying change agents across an inequitable health care system. Radiologists can and should play a leadership role in ensuring high-quality imaging care for all people, in screening, diagnosis, treatment planning and monitoring, and image-guided and interventional radiology treatments.

These are among some of the disparities we want to improve:

• Excess/potentially preventable deaths from cancer, lower respiratory disease and other illnesses in rural areas are often nearly double that of urban areas.
• Life expectancy is three years shorter, and heart disease, cancer and stroke death rates are significantly higher in rural areas (23% of the U.S. population) vs. metropolitan areas.
• 22% of those in rural areas live within 30 minutes of a lung cancer screening center vs. 83% in urban areas.
• Black women are 42% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.
• Black men are 52% more likely to die from colorectal cancer (CRC) than white men. The 19% CRC disparity may be due to fewer screenings.
• Black Americans with diabetes are three times more likely to have a limb amputated than others.
• U.S. Latinos are more likely to die from CRC than those in many Central and South American nations. The CRC death rate for U.S. Latinos has dropped more slowly than for whites.
• Asian Americans are twice as likely to die from stomach cancers, eight times more likely to die from hepatitis and have a tuberculosis rate more than 30 times higher than white Americans.
• 39% of U.S. women without health insurance had a mammogram in the past two years vs. 75% of those with health insurance.

Download and view the Radiology Health Equity Coalition Framework

• Framework Document 2021- 2022 (.pdf)

American Association of Physicists in Medicine

• J. Daniel Bourland, MSPH, PhD, DABR, Member Representative

American Board of Radiology

• Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, Member Representative
• David Lasakovits, Staff Representative

American College of Radiology

• Jackie Bello, MD, FACR, Member Representative
• Carla Brathwaite, MS, Staff Representative

American Medical Association Section Council on Radiology

• Jade Anderson, MD, Member Representative
• Jan Cox, Staff Representative

Association of University Radiologists

• Ernest Wiggins, MD, Member Representative
• Amanda Decker, Staff Representative

National Medical Association Section on Radiology and Radiation Oncology

• Derek West, MD, MS, Member Representative
• Tonya Greene, Staff Representative

Radiological Society of North America

• Jinel Scott, MD, Member Representative
• Karena Galvin, Staff Representative

Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments

• Max Rosen, MD, MPH, Member Representative
• Amanda Decker, Staff Representative

Society of Interventional Radiologists

• Paul Rochon, MD, Member Representative
• TBD

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

• Hyewon Hyun, MD, Member Representative
• Nikki Wenzel-Lamb, Staff Representative