In this episode of For the Health of It,  Dr. Darrell M. Gray II, Chief Health Equity Officer of Anthem, sat down with Komodo Health’s Chief Marketing Officer Bill Evans to discuss the importance of system-level changes to advance health equity. With a background in gastroenterology, where he saw first hand the impact of disparities on colorectal cancer outcomes, Dr. Gray emphasizes the need for dynamic, community-driven solutions that build trust with patients, and how data can give us a better understanding of the social drivers of health. 

Dr. Gray sees health equity becoming a reality when "everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible."  This is core to his mission as Anthem's Chief Health Equity Officer, where his programs and outreach initiatives — such as,  ‘What’s Driving Our Health’  — focus on understanding the social determinants of health for patients at scale. 

As health system stakeholders continue to create new ways to meet patients and their needs wherever they may be, Dr. Gray encourages health systems and providers to consider a patients' "whole health" – all the factors that influence wellness both in and outside the walls of the clinic — when making treatment and care decisions.

Insights from real-world data underscore the stark racial health disparities in the U.S. To help address these, Dr. Gray is driving provider initiatives at scale, aiming to mitigate implicit bias and embrace new, data-driven tools to identify and close gaps in care. Why? Because health equity is everyone's business, and we must embed it in everything we do — by design — to ensure optimal health for all. 

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