Abstract
Eradicating health disparities and increasing health-related quality of life are the overall goals of Healthy People 2010. To achieve these goals requires that healthcare providers have an understanding of respect for individuals, trust, and implications of distributing resources equitably within society. The purposes of this article are to discuss health disparities and to briefly describe how ethics helps healthcare providers address health disparities. In addition, strategies that professional nurses can incorporate into their clinical practice in order to reduce health disparities are presented.