Written assignmentHealth disparities

HLT 205 Benchmark Assignment Disparity Analysis Chart

The chart is the easy half. The paper asks whether health professionals can build trust and what cultural proficiency actually does, and both need more than a data comparison.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 25, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

The chart is evidence; trust is the argument

Building the chart is data collection and the Office of Minority Health supplies most of it, so the risk is spending the effort there and treating the paper as a summary of the table. The three paper questions ask something harder. The first is comparative and should identify where the two populations' access barriers differ in kind rather than in degree, since a coverage gap, a language barrier and a distrust of the institution are three different problems with three different remedies. The second asks whether professionals can address these factors to increase trust, and it deserves an honest answer, because trust in populations with documented histories of mistreatment by medical institutions is not a communication problem and cannot be fixed by a friendlier manner. Answering it as a communication problem is the commonest way this benchmark loses marks, and the evidence base points somewhere else entirely.

That is where the strongest version of this paper goes. Mistrust that has a historical cause is a rational response to a record, so the interventions with evidence behind them are structural rather than attitudinal: hiring and retaining staff from the community, partnering with organisations that already hold trust, being transparent about what happens to data and to complaints, and demonstrating consistency over time rather than during a campaign. Cultural proficiency then has a precise role rather than a vague one. It is not knowledge of a population's customs, which slides quickly into stereotype; it is the capacity to work with a patient whose framing of illness differs from the clinician's, and it operates through interpreter use, through asking rather than assuming, and through organisational standards such as the national CLAS framework. Say which of the two populations you would approach differently and why. Treating both populations identically in the recommendations undoes the comparative work the chart just did.

Likely learning objectives

Use a data chart as evidence for an argument rather than as the deliverable.
Distinguish access barriers that differ in kind from those differing in degree.
Treat historically grounded mistrust as rational rather than as a communication failure.
Define cultural proficiency as a capacity rather than as knowledge of customs.

Assignment instructions

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Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Details: This is a benchmark assignment. As a health care professional, it is important not only to be aware of underserved populations but the similarities and differences among these populations. In this assignment, you will create a chart in Microsoft Word that profiles two minority populations, which can be selected from the options on the Office of Minority Health (OMH) website: The Office of Minority Health The Office of Minority Health HLT 205 Benchmark Assignment Disparity Analysis Chart The Office of Minority Health http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=26 Your profile for each population needs to contain information for the following categories: Demographics: How large is the group’s population size within the United States? What is the age range that comprises the largest segment of the population? Cultural Norms: Lifestyle and diet habits that may have a significant impact on health. Religious and Spiritual Beliefs: Are there belief systems that may impact health-related decisions? Primary Insurance Coverage: What portion of the population has coverage? Education: What is the average education level for this population? Medical Conditions: Are there medical conditions common to the population? Outreach: What efforts have been made to increase medical access to the population? Based on the chart’s information, write a 800-1,000 word paper that discusses the following: The similarities and differences of these two groups with regard to accessing health care. As health care professionals, could we address these factors so as to increase trust in these populations? What role do you believe cultural proficiency among health care professionals may have in mitigating the challenges in providing service to these groups? While GCU style format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using GCU documentation guidelines, which can be found in the GCU Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

What the benchmark assignment requires

01A chart in Microsoft Word profiling two minority populations selected from the Office of Minority Health website.
02For each population: demographics including size and largest age segment, cultural norms, religious and spiritual beliefs, primary insurance coverage, education, common medical conditions and outreach efforts.
03An 800-1,000 word paper on the similarities and differences between the two groups in accessing health care.
04Whether health care professionals could address these factors to increase trust.
05The role of cultural proficiency in mitigating the challenges of serving these groups.
06In-text citations and references in GCU documentation style, submitted to Turnitin.