Vital Times 2021 - 66

GLOBAL HEALTH
CSA Forms a Global Health
Equity Committee
Ana Maria Crawford MD, MSc, FASA,
Negar Motayagheni, MD, and Mark Singleton, MD, FASA
C
OVID-19 is arguably the most prominent
global health equity challenge of our time.
Unfortunately, it is not the only major global
health challenge we face. The pandemic brings
into focus the undeniable necessity for a global
perspective on all aspects of human health. As
the world's nations are ever more interconnected,
monumental events such as the COVID-19 pandemic
evolve globally, reaching even the most remote and
least resourced communities, with disproportionate
impact on our most vulnerable populations. In
addition to infectious diseases, climate-related
disasters and societal conflicts continue to challenge
us. Shortages of basic commodities increasingly
reach global scale, as seen with the pandemic's
oxygen crisis spanning from Malawi to Los Angeles.
As a professional organization dedicated to the
advancement of human health, medical ethics,
and equitable care, the CSA should rightly provide
leadership regarding global health equity. On Monday,
August 23, 2021, the CSA's Committee for Global
Health Equity (CSA-GHE) had its first-ever meeting.
In these challenges, this newly formed committee
sees opportunities for CSA members to make a global
impact. In addition to highlighting the amazing work
CSA members are already doing, this committee aims
to advocate for all patients regardless of geography
and facilitate initiatives advancing equitable access to
health across California and beyond.
Although the concept of " global health " may be
perceived in many ways, the definition of " health "
has stood since first adopted within the constitution
of the World Health Organization in 1948: " Health
is a state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being and not merely the absence of disease
or infirmity. " Importantly, social well-being is a
significant factor in the attainment of health by our
communities and our patients. Serving the world's
most vulnerable patients regardless of geography
is achieving precedence within global health equity
agendas. The scope of global health equity integrates
locally underserved communities in California as
much as those in low-income and middle-income
countries and interconnects with the social barriers to
health. Global health is public health, and it starts at
home.
Anesthesiologists are leaders. California
anesthesiologists across academic and private
practice, and even those in training, participate
widely in clinical volunteerism, educational initiatives,
and public service endeavors. California schools of
medicine and departments of anesthesiology have
created curricula and programs that recognize the
66 | CSA Vital Times
Vital Times 2021

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