Q: Tell us about yourself and your organization

A: I’m Hollie Schmidt, and I’ve been with the Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) since its founding in 2001. At ACP, research, representation, and inclusion are the focus of their health equity initiatives for people living with MS. The priorities of ACP are to increase the representation of racial and ethnic minorities and other underrepresented groups in their virtual research network, iConquerMS, and to share what is learned with other researchers. ACP works closely with communities that are underrepresented in research to ensure that their efforts are culturally appropriate and meet the needs and priorities of these groups.

Q: How would you define health equity- and its importance for MS patients?

A: I envision a world where every person with MS has:

  • Affordable access to MS specialists and other health care providers that can provide the individualized care that they need,
  • Affordable access to all MS medications and information about how those medications work in people who share a similar background, and
  • Access to information about how to manage their MS and opportunities to connect with peers for mutual support and advice

Q: What are the biggest challenges to achieving health equity for patients with MS?

A: Obstacles like cost, distance, payer policies, language/cultural barriers, and access to high-quality, relevant health care information can have dramatic impact on health equity. “We all have a role to play in bringing attention to barriers to health equity and working to reduce them.” For me, that means striving for fairness, justice, and solidarity every day.

To learn more about ACS, visit: www.acceleratedcure.org.

Health equity is achieved when every person has the opportunity to “attain his or her full health potential” and no one is “disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances."