Member

Login to your account, make a payment, see benefits and more.

Members

Manage Your Plan

Helpful Tools

Wellcare By Fidelis Care

Members
Providers

Login to your account, download forms, view auth grids and more.

Providers

Provider Resources

About Our Plans

Helpful Tools

Providers
Shop For a Plan

See plan benefits, coverage areas, get a quote and more.

Shop for a Plan

Our Plans

Helpful Tools

Wellcare By Fidelis Care

Shop for a Plan
AAA
HomeAbout usHealth EquityHealth Equity Alt

Health Equity

At Fidelis Care, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to live a healthy life. It’s our mission to ensure New Yorkers have access to high-quality healthcare, so they can get the care they need when they need it.

But many other factors contribute to an individual’s health and wellness beyond access to healthcare. Socioeconomic conditions can influence health risks and outcomes. Poverty, food insecurity, housing instability, education, employment, access to transportation and other circumstances contribute to health disparities among underserved and vulnerable populations.

Fidelis Care is committed to removing those barriers to health to improve access, quality, and affordability. It is an ongoing process that requires working together with our members, providers, and community-based organizations to support fair and just opportunities to equal access to healthcare.

Learn more about our different approaches to improve health equity:


Key partnerships

Wellness commitment to Buffalo Urban League

To nurture social entrepreneurship, facilitate wellness, and strengthen organizations focused on Black, Indigenous and People of Color in Buffalo’s East Side, Fidelis Care and the Centene Foundation donated $1.1 million to the Buffalo Urban League (BUL) to help establish its new headquarters and develop a Wellness and Entrepreneurial Center.

In addition, Fidelis Care partners with BUL through community programs and at events held in the city focused on health, family support and stabilization services, foster care, adoption, education, job training, employment, scholarships, and more.

Buffalo-Urban-League

Mental health alliance with The Jed Foundation

As part of our behavioral health efforts, Fidelis Care and the Centene Foundation awarded $1.1 million to The Jed Foundation (JED) to protect the mental health of New York State’s youth.

Through the funding, JED will expand its current services, providing at least five youth-serving community-based organizations (CBOs) with consultation or strategic planning services, including expert guidance, educational workshops, and training programs, equipping young people with life skills and connecting them to mental healthcare when they are in distress.

Fidelis-JED-Social


More Health Equity News


Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer Screening
10/25/2022 • Posted by Dr. Sharon McLaughlin, Dr. Kathie Rones, Dr. Nicole Belanger-Reynolds in In The Community, Women's Health

National-Breast-Cancer-Awareness-Month-2022-Fidelis-Care

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women. In the United States, 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Although significant advancements in early detection and treatments have reduced the overall mortality rate, not all racial groups have benefitted equally. The incidence of late-stage diagnosis and overall mortality remains higher among certain minority groups, especially Black women.

 

What do we know

  • The mortality (death) rate which is the number of people who died of cancer per 100,000 people in a year is higher for Black people compared to white people. Taken age into consideration, the breast-cancer mortality is about 40% higher among Black women than among non-Hispanic women.
  • White women. For the same stage of breast cancer, Black women have a higher mortality.
  • Black women have shown to have a delay in treatment.
  • Black women are less likely to seek surgery compared to women of other racial groups. Mistrust of the medical community has been shown to influence how Black women manage their health.
  • The 5-year survival rate, which is the percentage of cancer patients who have not died from their cancer at 5 years after diagnosis, is higher for white women compared to Black women.
  • Low-income women have less access to early breast cancer screening and, therefore, a greater probability of late-stage diagnosis.

 

What are the factors that play a role in disparities?

  • Low income or worry about cost
  • Lack of access to care and transportation
  • Lack of knowledge of breast cancer risks and screening methods
  • Lack of childcare
  • Unable to miss work
  • Cultural and language differences
  • Lack of a recommendation to have a mammography
  • Longer periods of time in-between mammograms

 

What can help improve racial disparities

  • Insurance coverage. The screening prevalence, which is the percentage of people who have been screened for a certain kind of cancer, is higher for insured women compared to those who do not have insurance.
  • Offer to schedule cancer screenings
  • Reduce paperwork
  • Expand screening hours
  • Provide transportation
  • Provide translation services
  • Provide child care