Minnesota officials: Health overhaul needed to address disparity

Minnesota's approach to health needs an overhaul to address disparities between racial and ethnic groups, according to a Minnesota Department of Health draft report.

The report, posted on the department's website, details health inequities in the state of Minnesota.

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"Structural racism is deeply embedded in American society and is a potent factor leading to inequities in all major indicators of success and wellness," wrote the report's authors.

One example cited in the report is that more than 75 percent of whites own their own homes while less than 25 percent of blacks in Minnesota are homeowners. The department report concludes that the design of an environmental hazard program to warn homeowners about problems in their houses might neglect to inform a huge segment of the black population that doesn't own their own homes. That can lead to adverse health effects for black adults and children.