Read Racism Blamed for
Health Disparities in the Boston Globe:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/07/20/racism_blamed_for_health_disparities/ and read the executive summary (4 pages)
in the Health Disparities Report on the CDC’s website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/healthdisparities/docs/NCHHSTPHealthDisparitiesReport1107.pdf. Discuss your comments/questions in the blog.
I found both the articles very interesting. At face value, the two articles do not seem to relate. But as I started comparing them, I began to see some correlation between the two. The first article stressed how there is still “unconscious racism” that is “so entrenched in the US medical system that the only way to eliminate disparities is to change the rules.” It talked about how many different cultures are not receiving the same medical care as many white Americans within the health care system. I was shocked when I read that “studies published in the journal Circulation showed that blacks tend to get older heart drugs, are less likely to have surgery, and got less effective treatment for heart problems overall than whites.” It just does not seem fair that people of different cultures are receiving less effective treatment just because of factors that they cannot prevent, like the color of their skin or the language they were taught to speak.
ReplyDeleteThe second article seemed to correlate to the first article because it talked a lot about how different cultures tend to have more infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, viral Hepatitis, STDs, and tuberculosis. I feel like it correlated to the first article because it had discussed and analyzed that many cultures were not getting the same treatment as whites because of the “unconscious racism” that the U.S. still posses and that seems to show some correlation to the higher rates of diseases among different cultures. Many different cultures may go undetected longer for diseases just because they receive lower health care, in general. I liked though that both articles seemed to create some resolutions to these ongoing problems. The second article talked about how education and trainings are done to help aid in this effort of eliminating health disparities. The first article talks about successful health care facilities that “offer patients a full range of primary care services in an environment that is welcoming and respectful.” All in all, these articles ultimately illustrated how many cultural communities are underserved within the nation and thus correlate to undetected viruses and infections.
I found this to be so true when I read this line from the Health Disparities in HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Tuberculosis in the United States: “No single public health program can eliminate racial and ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender inequities or homophobia.” It amazes me with the leaps and bounds that we have made in science and the discoveries we have made in healthcare that we still cannot treat everyone as equals. Our society can put forth all the programs in teaching healthcare professionals about the inequalities that happens and ways of avoiding these inequalities or changing behaviors for the better, but I do not think it will matter in in end. People are going to have their beliefs about others and trying to change these beliefs may be impossible, for some.
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of inequalities in the way some doctors treat the elderly. They see the elderly as hypochondriacs, lonely, attention seekers, but most are not. Some doctors are not accustomed in dealing with the aging body and how illness and disease may present itself. They only half listen to what is going on and brush the rest under table. They may diagnose pain as arthritis or osteoarthritis when in actuality it is cancer (this happened with my grandmother). These few doctors do not feel that it is in the best interest of the patient to have testing done to rule out illnesses or diseases because they are “old”.
Another example of ageism, I was just watching the news today and saw a story about a young Hispanic women who found a lump in her breast. Her doctors brushed it off because of her age. When they finally diagnosed her with breast cancer it had already developed into stage 2 cancer. Luckily, after her treatment she has made a full recovery. You see this type of situation happening more and more on the news in the past years.
I was also amazed after reading the article on racism that doctors will not treat an African American with cardiac problems the same way as they would a white American with the same diagnosis. What is that message saying about the type of person the doctor thinks you are because they prescribe you older heart medications and less treatment options than a person of a different race? I was taught that you treat a person as a whole, meaning that you treat the reason why they needed medical attention and then also addressing the needs of their culture, ethnicity, gender, etc. as well. You treat the whole person essentially. You cannot leave out as aspect of who they are just because you may not like it or it makes you uncomfortable. If you cannot treat someone with dignity and respect, then they do not need to be in the health care field.
Sorry I was on a soapbox. This topic hits a little close to home.
Dear Nena, I was very empowered by your comment. I completely agree with what you pointed out about one of the articles that “No single public health program can eliminate racial and ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender inequities or homophobia.” But I do believe that if we teach that differences are a good thing at a young age, we can begin to see the changes that we wish to see in the world. I also agree with you that there is a lot of ageism in the health care system. I had a similar story that you had about your grandmother. My great aunt complained of stomach pains for months and no one listened to her. The doctors would just brush it off their shoulders and say she was "bloated." Then they got tired of her complaining and finally evaluated the area she felt pain in and they found out she had late-stage stomach cancer. It's sad that not everyone is treated equally in the health care system. I feel like everyone is just too overwhelmed by life that they forget how valuable life is...
DeleteHi Angela and Nena:
DeleteI absolutely believe in the comment "No single public health program can eliminate racial and ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender inequities or homophobia." Let us, as Nena pointed out, add in "age". This is why I believe in community health centers being run by the community. The socioeconomic scale of disparity encompasses many minorities, and drug addicts, homeless persons, and the aged. I did a research study on the aged and what factors contribute to "successful aging". What I found in my research was that Rowe and Kahn created a concept of Successful Aging rather than ongoing aging where decline in health is expected. This sounds positive, but the reality is that their criteria involved the aged who had no diseases and had mental acuity. This goes back to 1987, but it is deep rooted and considered a new concept that to this day is looked at in continuation of examining and manipulating its criteria. I feel that these concepts that are driven by research also need to be tackled to help with health disparities. After all, there are treatments and medications that are derived from these studies which may be very subjective.
Angela, I also very much agree with you that as parents or mentors or guardians, we need to teach our youth changes that need to be made. Much more is gained by teaching and educating our children, the youth - the upcoming leaders, trainers, nurses, doctors, and surgeons to take a stand in changing our systems and to set a new vision.
I enjoyed your soapbox Nena. However, where did you specifically read about ageism? A topic I love.
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine. I did not specifically read about ageism in these articles, but it is something I am passionate about. I guess the articles just made me think about ageism and wondered why this topic was not brought up in it as well.
DeleteNena T.
This brief article by Maggie Fox, Reuters, July 20, 2005 raises the question: did these studies take into account socioeconomic disparities that have a strong effect on healthcare as far as the type of medication people get? As example: I had pneumonia, and no prescription coverage. The antibiotic prescribed was too expensive, but it was likely that a weaker antibiotic would not work. Money was tight, and now I am out of work and a paycheck for 10 days. Do I, or can I, pay $65 instead of $22? Heart medications and other prescriptions are much more expensive than this example. Limited money, and lack of prescription insurance, made this small amount significant. According to this independent group, people of racial and ethnic minorities are still given a lower level of health care even when paid the same. How can that be happening in this day and age? If a company has 1,000 managers from different racial and ethnic groups make the same money, and have the same insurance, yet they are being treated different as far as what medication they receive? Perhaps, insurance companies need to be more transparent. Companies may have the same insurance, but with different plans at varying prices, depending on family size, co-insurance, and other factors. We have company meetings to discuss the various plans that you can get from one insurance carrier. I spent countless hours over the course of weeks before I made a decision to gamble with my insurance, by taking a plan that basically means that “you are likely to get really sick and have a high hospital bill, than you are to have regular illnesses.” That was a gamble that I took that made my weekly contributions to my healthcare 40% less. Please understand, I am against health disparities, I just like to see a more transparent solution to so many problems regarding health insurance. I firmly believe in community health services, because it is the community that works and thrives together, and lifts each other up. The racial and ethnic disparities that happen along the same socioeconomic groups should be looked at with some authoritative hand that can change that for good. And sadly, when I read about the Tohono O'odham Community Action, and the African-American neighborhood in New Orleans, and the Hispanic neighborhoods, I think of my education in American History and how “we” suppressed them. Americans suppressed these groups in many outward and underhanded ways....but is there no remorse, shouldn’t we take a stand, and give them the healthcare they need and deserve? I trust the community health services for that reason. Let the community heal its peoples with government funding.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Executive Summary we read, I am encouraged with the definition that the Department of Health and Human Services presents the agenda for health disparities in Health People 2010, to include “differences that occur by gender, race or ethnicity, education or income, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation. The CDC focuses on patterns of HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STD’s and Tuberculosis as much as possible according gender, race, age, and socioeconomic factors. The report looking at the block of time from 2000 – 2004 determines that there are many of these diseases are in specified racial, ethnic and low socioeconomic groups. The response to address these burdens involve outreach, legislative appeal and advocacy; education and training; along with community healthcare to increase cultural diversity in healthcare policies and workers. We have a lot of work to do, let’s each do our part as much as we can.
I agree with you both, Christine and Danielle. There is not enough of any cultural minority in any aspect of health care, whether it be in the insurance companies down to the CNA's. I think that in order to make even the smallest dent in these infractions, then society needs to step up and demand for change. I honestly do not think that I will see any big changes in my lifetime, but I do hope that it will. Cultural diversity and cultural sensitivity classes that companies offer as mandated in-services are a good start, but the change has to come from within the people sitting in those in-services listening to the information and taking that information and applying it to their lives. Hopefully these small steps will turn into huge leaps for the next generations to come.
DeleteNena T.
Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteI think a big part of hte problem goes back to - there arent an equal amount of people from other cultures that are in managerial positions. Having so many white managers means these are also the same people educating their staff. Relating to this, even higher than manager positions, are the people making these trainings and what goes into them. If this group is not culturally diverse, how diverse can these trainings be?
Hi Danielle:
DeleteThis may have validity in the big picture as well. Although who gets what insurance is based on money available to purchase. Employee plans have diversity and it comes down to how much money a person can have taken out of their paycheck. So I think it is bigger than managers, and goes into the very prominent, mostly white American Insurance world along with Investment Bankers. If a company carries insurance and there are too many accidents where the insurance was actually used, that company raises the insurance for everybody. So if the company is fair, they try to get another Insurance company and start all over, trying to keep the insurance benefits premium from excessive rates. So the article stating that blacks who are older tend to get older versions of heart medicine is a piece of information with so many unknown parameters. I believe that equal health care is different than equal insurance. It is my understanding that clinics, or what now are community health centers are there to help all in the area, which often are those with health disparities. However, I think they need to have proper funding to give the best treatment they can, because they need the money to pay for quality equipment and medicines. Is it possible there is an easy answer?
I am not surprised at all ..once again we see how our differences separate us .Racism is at the core of everything ..and its all directed towards minorities ( people of color) .I recently had a minor issue and scheduled an appointment with an outside referal .It was my first time meeting her.I was expecting her to at least have read my chart and have inclination as to why I was obviously there.I was a bit annoyed when she had no idea why I was they for the visit or what my reasons were.Frankly ..everything she told me I read it on wed md.I could have saved some money and time.I just think its beyond racism even though its obvious ...now its based on class.Your treatment is based on the type of insurance you have ,the better the insurance ,the better care you are likely to have ,and if you happen to be a minority with not so great of insurance ,then you are out of luck .
ReplyDeleteIt's sad to say, but I don't think racism in the United States will ever come to an end. I can't believe people of color get treated unfairly when visiting a trained medical professional. If minorities can't trust people when they need to be cured of a sickness who can they trust? Policies do need to be completely changed. It's even more alarming that even when minorities have the same socioeconomic background they are still treated unfairly.
DeleteIts very hostile ..it clouds everything ,the fact that race dominates every aspect of our society makes you wonder what we missing .The day that humanity can transcend ourselves form all these barriers .I think will mean we are dead!
DeleteHi Laurencia, I have had that same problem over and over again and it always frustrates me. I do no understand how you can go to the doctors, only to find out that they have not a single clue to who you are. I just don't understand it. It is so unprofessional and like you said, a waste of time and money. Now, I have very good health insurance and I am middle class and this still happens to me all the time. I believe this is more of a case in which doctors are overbook and honestly don't care, they get paid either way. But I do agree with Andrew, I do not think racism will ever come to an end either. After everything that has happened throughout history, if it hasn't changed yet...why will it? A lot of people can't change and they sadly just don't want too or care at all and that's what makes humanity so upsetting.
Delete"Last September, the Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Health Workforce found that while blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans make up more than 25 percent of the US population, they represent only 9 percent of the nation's nurses, 6 percent of doctors, and 5 percent of dentists."
ReplyDeleteThere has to be more programs that are geared to recruiting minorities ,and helping them continue in that program.
I started this week off by reading Maggie Fox’s “Racism blamed for health disparities Report encourages communities to take control” and found this Boston Glove article very eye opening. Again not being in the healthcare field I wouldn’t normally think of these things so I found this article to be beneficial for me. What I took away most from this article was the “unconscious racism” and inequality America has in its health system. It is sad that “blacks tend to get older heart drugs, are less likely to have surgery, and got less effective treatment for heart problems overall than whites.” In our day and age racism should not still be around! I couldn’t believe from reading this article that racism in healthcare was a thing that happened often.
ReplyDeleteNext, I read “Health Disparities in HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Tuberculosis in the United States” the CDC report from 2007. This report focuses on how to end health disparities which is “differences that occur by gender, race or ethnicity, education or income, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation.” What I found interesting was it provided examples of health disparities and the examples they provided were all mostly of African Americans. For example, “blacks had the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in 2004, with 69.3 cases per 100,000 in population, 8.5 times the rate for whites.” Furthermore, Blacks have the highest rate of syphilis infections, with a rate of 9 cases per 100,000 in population in 2004, almost three times the rate among the second highest groups, Hispanics and American Indian/Alaska Natives.” Last, “Blacks also had the highest gonorrhea rates, with 629.6 cases per 100,000 in population.” What I found interesting was with all the examples provided for health disparities, African Americas were majority of the time the ones often infected with the disease the most. This is evidence to back up the Boston Globe article and that African Americans are less likely to get effective treatment compared to other ethnicities.
The first article talked about how people of different ethnicities weren’t receiving the same healthcare even if an African American person was of the same socioeconomic status as a Caucasian person. It doesn’t make sense to deny a person quality healthcare just because of the color of their skin or what country they may have moved from to get to the U.S., it’s shocking to see that there are still issues between races. “Dr. David Satcher, former US surgeon general, found that more than 80,000 black Americans die every year because of continuing disparities in healthcare.” People should be fired if they knowingly do something that can be potentially harmful to another person just because they are a different race. There is no place for racism, especially when it comes to a person’s health.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the second article’s executive summary, I was surprised to see the number of people who accounted for a sexually transmitted disease. The statistics meant nothing more to me than the fact that the healthcare disparity has something to do with the breakdown of percentages. If the minority community can’t get simple healthcare office visits, then there is no way they will feel comfortable going to see a doctor to talk about a potential STD they may have contracted. “Factors contributing to health disparities include poverty, unequal access to health care, and lower educational attainment.” These factors should have nothing to do with what type of healthcare a person receives. While some people may have put themselves in situations where they cannot get out of, others work hard at minimum waged jobs and try and support a family on little income with no benefits. The healthcare system seems to benefit the highest of high on the salary scale, while others are left to suffer, or be treated unfairly. It seems like the highest rates of diseases are among non-whites, and the since the majority of people in the healthcare workforce are white, they do not want to help. People need to get over racism, and start being more helpful to others who are less fortunate or come from a different background.
I agree with you Andrew, people need to get over racism and am glad that the CDC is implementing on programs to increase diversity in the public health work places.
DeleteI think increasing the diversity in health care system will be a big help to solving this issue. The more people of color working means more equal treatments for everyone...it seems so simple yet the world can never seem to make it there.
DeleteReading both articles were very interesting and some of the report saddens my heart. Especially the report that said " Racism within the health system is literally making people of color sick". In my opinion I think its not just about racism. There are also stereotypes, ageism and the second article gave us other factors like poverty and lower educational attainment and many more. I do not know about some of you, but when a person goes to the ER for an instance and complains about a chest pain for an example, the healthcare providers uses so many assessment tool to diagnosis and treat the person. They also include age, sex, race, ethnicity and sometimes job description. And sometimes might include if the person is obese or not. As soon as the person is obese they might include some tests like EKG, cholesterol, or sugar levels for diabetes, but what they are also forgetting is that being obese does not mean the person is not healthy. Another person who is not obese might come to the ER and will complain with similar symptoms, but might have diabetes, heart problems and some other health issues. Healthcare providers may harbor racial biases and may be at increased risk of using stereotypes as cognitive short cuts because of limited resources and cognitive demand. Even though disparity in service exists in healthcare, neither class or race should be a factor in treating an individual. I think we should all try and live a liberation lifestyle and not just help ourselves and family, but be an advocate and help others.
ReplyDeleteI agree Barbara. My reaction after reading the first article made me upset as well! I also could not believe some of the stats that Fox mentioned throughout the article. I also agree with you that I don't think that this problem should be surrounded by just racism-- it is about stereotypes and judgments.
DeleteBarbara ,
DeleteI think you make some great observations about about the importance of utilizing various assessment tools in healthcare and not falling into stereotype driven care. Healthcare workers can sometimes get complacent after caring for multiple patients that may fit a certain demographic , like the obese or elderly as Nena mentioned and internalizing their notions that their experiences equate to a standard of medical practice . This is unfortunate but as both articles note it is not uncommon.
The first article that I read, titled “Racism blamed for health disparities”, written my Maggie Fox, was about racism and the health care system. Fox opens up stating that the only way that we can eliminate disparities in our US healthcare system is to change the rules. Fox then states that allowing communities to take control of their own health and healthcare has helped, and has also motivated them to be healthier and get regular checkups. However, one fact that Dr. David Satcher, a former US general surgeon shared was shocking to me—more than 80,000 black Americans die every year because of continuing disparities in healthcare. I think that Fox did a good job of getting her point across to the reader and backing it up with proof.
ReplyDeleteThe second article that I read for this week was a CDC executive summary from the report titled, “Health Disparities in HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Tuberculosis in the US”. This report focused on how to fix and amend health disparities. They define health disparities as, differences that occur by gender, race or ethnicity, education or income, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation. I think that this summary does an excellent job of correlating with the first article that I read! This article also gives some points that will help accomplish goals in reducing health disparities. These are, (1) the CDC has launched agency-wide disease specific initiative, (2) developed culturally appropriate, community-driven programs, (3) collaborated with community and government partners of prevention research, (4) developed educational outreach activities for the community and for CDC employees, and lastly (5) implemented programs to increase diversity in the public health workforce.
During the past year, I have come to realize that racism is more alive than I had thought, this is a very sad thought to me. I have learned that racism, though not as "accepted" as it used to be, happens everyday, from people that you would think would be more educated and would know better. Reading this article just goes to support those thoughts. Though the article does state some different agenda to aid in stopping this issue within the health field, it seems the problem is growing out of control. To me, its almost as if to say, what you're doing now is not working; the education, the nationwide health promotion and disease prevention of 2010, the acts doen by the CDC, etc. What are we, as a nation, as a country, doing wrong? If doctors and nurses are taught to "first do no harm" how are they giving older heart meds to black patients, why are minorities given lower quality health care than whites, even when they are making the same amount of money and have the same insurance? I often wonder if this is done unconsciously, and if so, then why? What do you do when education and outreach dont work? What do you do when you cant trust healthcare professionals to give you the best, or at least equal care? One statement that stood out to me was "Racism within the health system is literally making people of color sick". It sounds like an oxymoron, but sadly, seems to be the truth today. Some of the research mentioned that it was blacks that were getting the majority of the lower health care. This made me wonder if they were just grouping all minority people into this catagory and if not, why are other minorities being treated "better"?
ReplyDeleteIt was also interesting to read in the response section that the midcourse review of Healthy People 2010 suggested that "the nations health improved overall, but the health disparities remained virtually unchanged". Again, this may mean that the tactics they are using just arent working.
I agree with you that although I know racism is still an issue, I didn't realize how present it was in something so vital as healthcare. I sometimes think to myself, "Am I a racist?" because of the preconceived notions I have had about cultural groups, and to honest I can't even begin to tell you where these thoughts stem from, because I never saw my family who raced me as racist people. The quote about racism making colored people sick also really got to me. What are we doing wrong as a nation? Yes the health of the nation is improving, but as you said not necessarily where it need to be the most.
DeleteHi Danielle: Thank you for bringing out the question of were they grouping all minorities together, and if not, where other minorities doing better. The article by Maggie Fox had no validity and was all over the place, points were made...but too much information was not stated. It is not good to further the problem with incomplete thoughts and lack of valid information on statistics. Please, please...if we could start with NOT saying "people of color"!!! See how we all assume the color is black? Why?
DeleteBefore beginning this online course, I don’t think I was fully aware of the extent of disparities in healthcare resulting from racism and inequality for minorities groups. I guess it should have occurred to me that knowing racism is still currently alive and well, it is not secluded to just certain aspects of life, but can rear its evil head anywhere, even when it comes to treating patients with fatal illnesses. The statistics alone in both of these readings were extremely eye-opening for me, because I had no idea that the percentages would be so vastly different for minorities, assuming that as a nation we had come further in demolishing inequality. Learning that 80,000 black Americans die each year due to health disparities was not only shocking, heart wrenching to think that in most cases healthcare providers are withholding quality care based on the color of a person’s skin. My thoughts were provoked when I read over the statistics for minority groups with sexually transmitted diseases from the CDC surveillances, because it mentioned that the highest rates of increase from 2000 were seen in adolescents and young adults. I immediately though about the education being provided for adolescents and whether these teens were given an equal quality education as I was, which included health classes with information about safe sex practices and prevention. After reading the quote, ''I think in most situations it isn't conscious -- 'I prefer to serve white people rather than black people' or 'I don't believe this person deserves good healthcare,' " from Racism Blamed for Health Disparities, I questioned my own biases (which I regret to admit being human I have) in relation to both of jobs. I thought about my part time retail job and how I have heard fellow coworkers make stereotypical/bias comments in reference to minority groups and their shopping/spending tendencies. Again I’ll admit sometimes I have had similar thoughts, and prejudged a customer based on their ethnic appearance, which I have regretted. Then I thought about my full time career as a teacher for young children, and I tried to put things in perspective by thinking if I were a doctor and a sick African American child came to me, so small and innocent, would I deny that child care that could save their life because of the color of their skin? Both readings really got me thinking, because while I understood the healthcare and educational inequalities faced by those in rough socioeconomic situation, I can now see the strong correlation between socioeconomic status and ethnicity in relation to healthcare disparities.
ReplyDeleteSally, I have to agree with you that before taking this course I had no idea about the disparities in our healthcare system. The last reading we had were really eye opening for me to see what they healthcare system is really like. I also found it very frustrating that being in this century and age we still have problems like this going on in the healthcare field. Great post!
DeleteBoth of these articles really got me thinking and realizing that racism is very much still alive in today’s world. I was always aware that people in the health care system had their own personal beliefs and problems with being racist but I didn’t understand just how far it went. For example, in the article Racism Blamed for Health Disparities by Maggie Fox, she states “In March, studies published in the journal Circulation showed that blacks tend to get older heart drugs, are less likely to have surgery, and got less effective treatment for heart problems overall than whites”. I never even would have imagined that people of color would not receive the same medications as whites. I don’t even see why this would matter to people, if someone is sick they should be given the same medication as everyone else…it’s simple. This example really demonstrates just how cruel how world really is. A few others have used this quote as well, “Racism within the health system is literally making people of color sick” and it is because it is so disturbingly truthful. The way health care is today is literally making people of color sick by not giving them the same medication and help as whites. The second article got me thinking about how the young ones and the next generation of kids are not receiving the same education as we do today. This is devastating and is resulting in more cases of disease and illness. I am privileged to be taking so many classes on diversity and culture, but not everyone has access to this. People of color may not even know they are being treated differently in health care because they never learned about or had any education to teach them otherwise. In order to get the rates for all races lower, people need to start treating everyone as equals and become more aware of what surrounds them.
ReplyDelete-Andrea D
In response to the first article as it relates to having a more diverse healthcare workforce , a certain level of trust is essential to both providing and receiving quality healthcare . The article mentions the stark statistics of minorities being underrepresented in key healthcare positions . Promoting trust can be different in many ways but usually starts with an understanding . A friend of mine who is of a member of a racial minority relocated to an area which is predominantly populated by several different racial minorities . He is a Nurse Practitioner and felt he could make a difference in this area . Many of his patients are initially surprised to see him in this position . Yet he has found that they have a degree of comfort when interacting with him and are maybe a bit more forthright with their medical issues than they are with some of the other employees in the facility . This positive response from patients has encouraged him to continue on with with his practice and education focusing on an area he feels is under-served to an even greater extent mental health in the minority community. This weeks topic continues to highlight some of the areas we touched on in our cultural interviews .
ReplyDeleteIts really not fair knowing that people of white skin have a better chance of living than people of a different skin tone. if its so much more about class why aren't they looking at the census? Its been reported that there are more caucasians enrolled in state assistance than any other race. Wouldn't that make them "equal" to all the people that they are bashing? Not saying that caucasians are the only racisists but in this country there is such thing as an "American Dream" that people have brainwashed into their head. A life is a life no matter what color they are. My "American Dream" is for everyone to be created as equals because of their interests and not their economic class. The CDC article isn't too surprising to me because being in the health field you start to realize that a lot of diseases are actually pretty common to see. Most of the time, the people who are infected have more than one thing wrong with them medically, such as low white blood cell count, such as African Americans. They can not fight of infections or any disease easily. Its all coming to me now. that its in their blood, literally, and not something they can really help. While healthcare systems may seem racist, maybe sometimes its for the better. maybe they aren't helping because they know that because of someones ethnicity as well as scientific facts, there isn't a way to help. Sometimes you have to look at it through someone elses eyes. Look at the man who just died from the Ebola virus.. Everyone is saying its because of white america but i'm sure the doctors did everything they could to help him and is immune system was that of African descent and could not handle the treatment. I'm not anything of a racist but i think everyone should look both ways.
ReplyDelete