Racial Disparities In Health Care Essay

The health disparities among the elderly Asian Americans faces with numerous illnesses and diseases, including access to care, quality of care, and challenges managing chronic illnesses. The health disparities involving the physical health concerns are cancer which is a leading cause of mortality. Heart disease included coronary artery and valve disease, the number cause of death among men and women in the United States and a major contributor to disability among older adults. Hypertension a chronic disorders especially in elderly Asian American, and including diabetes mellitus a chronic disease suffered by more than a quarter of the U.S. population older than age 65. Although, diabetes mellitus correlated by racial-ethnic demographic factors including socioeconomic and cultural factors, poverty, and

In doing so, he pays particularly close attention to black patients and their relations with health care policies and practices. Smedly maintains that blacks are not only the victims of, inpatient and outpatient treatment, racial policies, and other services but also the victims of its consequences. He argues that many health care administrators are agents to a system of inequality that support provider and administrator biases, geographical inequalities, and racial stereotypes (Smedly 2012).

Healthcare plays a crucial part in our lives. Health disparities “phrase references black-white differences as well health disadvantages characteristic of other ethnic groups “of color,” such as Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans” (Coreil, 2010 p. 167). Many socio-ecological factors that contribute to the existence of health disparities when it comes immunizations. An individual ability to have access to health care, insurance status, income level, provider and patient knowledge have a significant impact on vaccination rates.

     The article on Black America Web entitled “The state of Black America, Part 4: Health as Wealth” (Lewis, 17 Jan. 05) is mainly addressing how African Americans should get check-ups, eat a healthier diet, exercise, among other things to maintain their health. The authors main point of writing an article about health is so that African Americans will be propelled to take preventative measures to prevent and treat disease that may be debilitating or lethal, to get professional help if they are not feeling mentally prepared, and to put aside mistrust of the medical profession.

There are vulnerable groups that have significant problems in the health care system, due to this population being made vulnerable because of their financial circumstances or place of residence, health, age, race, mental or physical state. Access to health care across different populations are the main reason for current disparities in the United States health care system. Moreover, with a large amount attention being given to racial disparities in health, the meaning of race has come under increased scientific examination. (Sondik, 1997) Consequently, race remains to be one of the most politically charged topics in American life, because it's linked to sociocultural element often has led to classifications that have been ambiguous and improperly

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.

Health disparities are the inequalities that appear in the arrangement of healthcare and approaches to healthcare across different racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and socioeconomic group.

- Health Science Scholars Honors Thesis - I am writing my honors thesis for Health Science Scholars on urban-rural health disparities and different strategies that have been attempted globally to alleviate these inequalities. In my research, I have learned more about the huge disparities that exist in access in the US and globally and I hope to be able to work to alleviate these disparities.

Access to quality healthcare has a direct correlation to an individual’s economic, social, and physical environment. However, within the United States, it is an individual’s social status that plays the biggest role in their lives as a patient. Some social determinants such as education level, employment, racial group, and type of the family play crucial role in the health of the patient. The difference in social status contributes to a huge disparity in access to quality healthcare services in the USA and the world at large. Patients with strong positive social status such as being white, have a high level of education and are well-off have an increased chance of accessing quality healthcare.

Health disparities are differences in health outcomes due to factors such as socioeconomic status, sex/gender, ethnicity, race, lifestyle choices, education, cultural norms, and religious beliefs. These factors lead to differences in treatment and outcomes such as disability or mortality. In the United States, Alzheimer’s is the ranked as the sixth leading cause of death and “is the only cause of death in the top 10 that cannot currently be cured, prevented, or slowed” (Nichols, 2017). While research is being done, there remains wide gaps in which people develop the disease and which do not, although age is definitely a major factor. Alzheimer’s currently affects approximately 5.4 million Americans, including an estimated 200,000 individuals younger than 65 who suffer from early onset Alzheimer's (Nichols, 2017).

There are many different people who are familiar with the problem at hand. Even after 1964 and the Civil Rights Act, discrimination and disparity have effected health care in America. Some people believe that discrimination is not the issue where others argue that it is the problem.

According to a poll completed by Gallup Minority Rights and Relations, "one in five (20%) blacks feel that during just the past 30 days, they were treated unfairly in a healthcare situation because they are black" (Coleen McMurray 2002). In our modern day society, it is very redundant to treat blacks differently from whites especially regarding medical reasons. The disparity between these two races eradicates the vision of most hospitals in general. For example, the Rochester General Health System (RGHS) in New York states that their mission is to "improve the health of the people served by providing high quality care, a comprehensive range services, convenient and timely access with exceptional service and compassion" (Rochester General Health

Although it has been over 150 years since the abolishment of slavery in America, its effects are still present to this day. Racism lurks in the minds of many Americans whether they are aware of it or not. This negatively effects African Americans in many ways. An example of such is increased stress which leads to negative health outcomes in African Americans such as low birth weights, and low life expectancies. Since they have worse health outcomes compared to their racial counterparts, one would expect them to be seen by physicians more. However, they also have decreased access to healthcare because of these health disparities. In addition, once they are finally able to see the doctor, they again have to deal with racism. Although we as a society hold doctors to a higher value of expectations and morals, they are still average human beings. In consequence, they too can have unconscious racist bias towards their patients. This has been confirmed by numerous studies and could be why African Americans are less likely to go to the doctor when ill. For example, in a study done by Harvard University, it was found that African American patients with pneumonia were only 32% likely to receive an antibiotic within 6 hours of admission as opposed to 53% of other Medicare patients with pneumoniaINSERT SOURCES HERE. In a societal viewpoint, this issue must be addressed. We must find a way to decrease unconscious bias towards patients. One way this can be done is by having doctors

Healthcare disparities exist at higher rates among various ethnic backgrounds as well as individuals with disabilities. Although receiving good healthcare should be a privilege, statistics have shown that social determinants such as poor education, low income, limited access to quality care, as well as environmental factors have contributed to healthcare disparities. If society could improve barriers like health education, communication, and healthcare cost, quality healthcare could be successfully provided to every person.