“The more you know, the further you’ll go” or what do legislators know about health disparities and what does this mean for public health advocates?

Abstract

The chief function of legislators is to enact laws or to make changes to existing laws. Knowledgeable and highly aware legislators can make for effective lawmakers who may bring about major policy changes that can have important consequences for the health and well-being of their constituents. Chapter 2 looks at how aware and knowledgeable Massachusetts legislators are regarding health disparities for advocates. Dr. Julie Graves, As family medicine and public health physician, and the Associate Director of Clinical Services for Nurx, provides “Notes from the Field” shares her thoughts on advocating to reduce health disparities as a physician in Texas.