VA Care Eliminates Poor Outcomes For African American Veterans
Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death in the US and racial disparities are common. Compared with White men, African American men are 33% more likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 16% more likely to die from cancer. Compared with White women, African American women are 32% more likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 10% more likely to die from cancer.
Over the past two decades, evidence has accumulated indicating that racial disparities observed in the general population are eliminated among Veterans who receive care in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and that African American Veterans treated at VHA actually fare better than White Veterans on a number of cardiovascular disease metrics.