The latest study on access to medical treatment revealed a troubling fact: black people suffering from diabetes or vascular disease are five times more likely than white people to have a leg amputated. Furthermore, women in Mississippi are disadvantaged when it comes to mammograms compared to those in Maine.

The report was based on Medicare patients in 50 states and the District of Columbia and was conducted by researchers at Dartmouth Medical School institute, led by Elliott Fisher. The non-profit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation financed the study.

Overall, the disparities are clear: blacks are less likely to receive the adequate medical care than whites, people in Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina are more likely to have an amputation that residents in Colorado and Nevada, and not all women are able to have a mammography as often as they should.

The medical system is not the only contributing factor to a patient’s health state, but it has a major influence in the incipient phases of the patient’s condition. The difficulties of getting a treatment can influence the later evolution of the patient’s health.

The disparities between races, communities and regions clearly indicate that the health care system requires a national reform. This problem is already on Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s agenda, which includes a $300 million project focused on 14 regions to be announced on Thursday.

Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the foundation, said in an interview with the Associated Press that patients in the U.S. continue to be the subject of many mistakes, miscommunication and inequity, despite having the most expensive health care system in the world.

The money will be partly used for enhancing technical expertise and improving the system, as well as for further research and promotion of adequate heath care. This will be the perfect opportunity to set an example that where there’s a will, there’s a way.

The areas to take part in the $300 million project are: Cincinnati; Cleveland; Detroit; Humboldt County, Calif; Kansas City, Mo.; Memphis; Minnesota; Seattle; Wisconsin; South Central Pennsylvania, Western Michigan, Western New York and Willamette Valley, Ore.