Racial Bias And Discrimination: A Case Study

In the field of health care there is a pervasive notion that many blacks are presumed to be low income. It is interesting to see how blackness is associated with low income and class. For example, questions regarding where black patients reside and what their current occupation is can be directly linked to racial profiling in health care. The author contends black patients are more likely to receive a lower quality of health care due to one’s insurance status and income. Here, too, one can maintain that race is deeply interwoven into the construct of class and accessibility (Smedly 2012). As a result, class serves a higher purpose of being granted access to the accessibility of better medical resources and standard of care. Conversely, the construct of class not only gives and takes away in its relation to recieving appropriate resources in

In this paper, I will argue that the healthcare system has responsibility in taking care of the racism that is apparent in this system. First and foremost, the word “racism” must be defined in order to prevent confusion on the line of reasoning in this argument. According to Camara Jones’s framework that was developed to highlight how racism can lead to health disparities, there are two levels of racism that will be looked at: institutionalized racism and personally-mediated racism. Institutionalized racism, defined as “differential access to goods, services, and opportunities by race, includes differential access to health insurance”. What is significant to note is that institutional racism does not require personal bias commonly associated

Since the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s “Unequal Treatment Report” in 2002, highlighting the startling but harsh truths behind these health care differences, there has been a renewed interest in understanding the sources of these inconsistencies, with any seeking to identify contributing factors in hopes of creating an effective solution in reducing or eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care

With such glaring evidence on structural racism within the medical field, it is not surprising that people of color face disparities.

The society today likes to classify and individual according to their physical physical features, such as: skin color, hair color, hair texture. eye shape, and etc. This practice reflects that the society have a need to put individuals into categories. Social issues surrounding race is the most controversial of all time. Race is defined as a group of people who share similar and distinct physical features. Words associated with race are racial discrimination, racial profiling and racial stereotypes. Racial discrimination is the practice of treating an individual differently because of their race or color. Racial profiling refers to the practice law enforcement officials using an individual 's race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin when looking for suspects of crimes. Racial stereotypes are automatic and exaggerated mental images society holds of a particular group. How prevalent is race when all these terms exists and each has its own definition? Racism is still alive and harming the society of America.

In recent discussions of health care disparities, a controversial issue has been whether racism is the cause of health care disparities or not. On one hand, some argue that racism is a serious problem in the health care system. From this perspective, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) states that there is a big gap between the health care quality received by minorities, and the quality of health care received by non-minorities, and the reason is due to racism. On the other hand, however, others argue that health care disparities are not due to racism. In the words of Sally Satel, one of this view’s main proponents, “White and black patients, on average don’t even visit the same population of

There continues to be racial and ethnic disparities in the United States, and these problems need to be addressed since the rate of racial/ethnic populations in the country are steadily rising. According to the 2001 United States Census, “racial/ethnic minority populations are growing at such a fast rate that by 2050 more than 50% of the population will belong to a minority group” (Weech-Maldonado, Al-Amin, Nishimi, Salam, 2011). Race and ethnicity should not determine the levels of health care people receive. Certain races have genetic predispositions for certain diseases and that fact cannot be changed. However, the differences among race for things such as treatment, access to health care, and availability of medicine should not be as great as they are. One of the most important disparities that exists between racial/ethnic groups is access to care, specifically how access to care is limited due to treatment not being tailored to the needs of different minorities.

Though the civil rights movement made substantial progress yet race remains a controlling factor in dictating who gets access to healthcare, the quality of care, and health insurance coverage. Because this stems from the supremacist belief that one race is superior, I would educate my patients, my colleagues, and my classmates on the importance of equity between all

Overall this book discusses health care inequalities in America by documenting the need for the equal treatment and equal health statuses of minorities. The book was written to be a resource for students in public health and social sciences, also for the people who work with the minority populations. The book is a combination of peer reviewed research from scholars and workers in the field. These scholars give a political and historical view of healthcare through race and ethnicity, specifically focusing on inequalities of access and quality of healthcare that is provided to minorities.

As Americans, we are all equal, right? Well, why are there differences (or disparities) rampant throughout our nation’s health care system. These disparities can sometimes indicate that there is unequal treatment of Americans in our nation. In 2002, The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published the leading report, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. The report proved there is in-fact, racial and ethnic disparities in American health care, and amid the many health care services available. Disparities in health care are of-course, not only prevalent across racial demarcations, but also across one’s sexual orientation, social class, socioeconomic position, sex, and geographic location (U.S.). Medical organizations like the AHRQ and the Health & Human Services Dept. are dedicated to bringing about equal health care to all Americans. These organizations have invested a lot of time and money into studies, making it possible for all Americans to research this issue in greater depth. This report is an attempt to provide some insight on the issue of ethnic/racial inequity in health care treatment in America. First, we’ll look at the stats that prove there are discernible ethnic/racial disparities in our health care system, and then we’ll examine why racial and ethnic disparities may exist and what methods can be employed to solve them.

In 2003, the Institute of Medicine published a report outlining potential steps to work towards eliminating healthcare disparities, by suggesting a strategic approach by addressing the challenges within the health care systems, the federal and state legislative context in which they operate, clinicians and their patients (Betancourt JR, King RK, 2003). The intended goals of reducing and eliminating healthcare disparities, has continually been an agenda item for policy makers over the past few decades, but there has been no significant change. The root of the segregated mindset which implies minorities should be treated as lesser class humans is a part of American history and because of this, it is America’s responsibility to eliminate it(William D,

This paper focuses disparities and if racism has any influence on treatments given by healthcare providers. The results of the study showed that of the 37 cases tested, 26 of them showed slightly significant evidence of racist beliefs. One of the more confusing aspects of this paper was that I didn’t understand how the researchers measured racism. I felt that measuring racism was an almost daunting task as there is an element of human subjectivism. Furthermore, a better are of study would have been to analyze the geographic influence on disparities. Similar to what we learned in class, disparities often occur because people of a particular region do not have direct access to healthcare. Overall, I felt that this paper had numerous statistics about how and why racism plays a role in disparities, but the results were rather ambiguous in my eyes.

Discrimination and the differential quality of medical care African-Americans receive are seen in all levels of professional healthcare workers. Dr. Tweedy, a prominent psychiatrist and author of New York Times Bestseller A Black Man in a White Coat, has made claims about the difficulties and differences in healthcare treatment quality African-Americans receive (Weintraub, 2016). Studies from many medical professionals show that African-Americans face lesser quality and differential treatment due to social stigma and racial biases, whether these patients are in the Emergency Department, or seen by different health care professionals, such as registered nurses and surgical clinicians (Pletcher et. al, 2008; Haider et. al, 2015). The accumulation of discrimination, racial biases, and communication barriers between African-American patients and physicians are the reasons why African-Americans receive differential quality in medical care. The most effective way to improve and decrease these quality differences is to be proactive and educate health care workers by improving interpersonal skills and increasing awareness and cultural sensitivity training in both current and future healthcare professional workers.

Currently, racism is perpetuated in both societal attitudes and micro-aggressions rather than direct physical attacks on the body (Chakraborty, 2002). As racial tensions continue to both produce and perpetuate inequalities in both class and geography, the direct and indirect implications of those have heaver bearing of those in racial minority groups. In the 1980s, the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study showed that African Americans were more than twice as likely than white Americans to not seek treatment for conditions out of fear of hospitalization. Reasons for this increased fear included past negative interactions with healthcare professionals along with historical mistreatment, leading to mistrust (Satcher, 2001). The impacts of historical oppressions and current negative impressions with global healthcare systems are only part of what has caused distortion in mental health outcomes between people of different ethnicities

Minorities have struggled with racism and racial stereotyping for decades. The act of racism is shown widely throughout the United States. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, racism is “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”. People of all gender, religion, and race can experience being discriminated against in some way. Racism can be identified in an abundant amount of different types of people including Colorblind and Defensive Racists and many more.