Underserved Communities

Through my experience with the healthcare field, I have seen that low socioeconomic status, culture, and access are the major contributors to the health disparities today. Whether it is not being able to afford health insurance/medical costs, a culture that’s attitude and beliefs does not put much value on preventative care, or simply not having appropriate transportation to the doctor, all these factors work together against the patient. Medical professions can best tackle these issues by first knowing and understanding the needs of the population in which they practice. Theoretically, if one is aware of specific needs then those needs can be better addressed, whether they are financial or cultural needs. Also, medical professionals can work

As a FQHC, LSCC’s mission is to provide care to underserved and uninsured residents of our service area. In Central Texas, people who lack health insurance are disproportionately poor and disproportionately racial/ethnic minorities. Because of this confluence of socioeconomic indicators, LSCC’s patient populations are more likely than other groups to experience health disparities which can negatively impact a patient’s life from the day he or she is born, through development, through adulthood, and up until the day he or she dies. Excess morbidity and early mortality are the indelible scars dealt by health disparities upon LSCC’s target populations. In light of this reality, LSCC must go beyond the mere provision of care to ensure that our

A reformation of the achievement levels of African-Americans starts through the investment of high achieving mentors, families, and friends. It begins with African-Americans straying away from statistical choices, such as placing improper value on education, community involvement, and health. The overcoming of such adversities involved with being an African-American woman has propelled my career goals. By striving to become a pharmacist and non-profit leader I am showing that the accomplishments of African-American women in health and leadership are not abnormal. One of the major causes of minority health disparities is the lack of minority health providers. As a healthcare provider, I will be better able to promote wellness in minority populations.

The U.S. healthcare has been dealing with disparities for centuries. These disparities can be racial, social, or economical. The disparities are easier to see when compared to other reference points, such as policies, procedure or protocol. Williams & Torrens, 2008 list several disparities when it comes to patient care, such as minorities are less likely to get diagnosed with cancer verses whites, patients with lower socioeconomic statuses are less likely to received diabetic services, and many more. In order to eliminate some there disparities it must first be recognized by others that it is a serious problem. These problems have been around for years; therefore the public must put pressure on the policymakers to promote change. In order

For decades, a person’s socioeconomic status or SES has affected the healthcare that people receive due to race and “wealth”. This problem has plagued American society because of these factors leading to many receiving inadequate healthcare. All of these factors for someone’s SES has changed a lot in the healthcare domain that is unfair to many who are not the “ideal”. Due to this the perception, experiences with healthcare waver and are different between the stages of these SES’s. No matter the status of a person they should receive the same amount of care, treatment, and closer.

Through these volunteering efforts alongside medically underserved individuals I gained experience as well as a better sense of cultural competence and compassion that has gradually helped me learn the capacity to understand other people’s experiences and sufferings in a way I never had before. Furthermore, by specifically working in family and free health clinics, I have had the opportunity to gain perspective to the present health disparities of minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. I have witnessed how a lack of insurance, monetary income, or health education can affect one’s decision to attain primary health care. Seeing their medically related hardships increase has only challenged me to contribute my unwavering efforts to pursue the Biomedical Sciences MS degree and become a compassionate, culturally competent, and respectful type of physician who thinks logically and rationally when striving to help people in their greatest time of need, instead of focusing on their

Indeed, equality in health care is far from perfect in America, there are a number of socio-ecological factors- educational level, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and demographics- which commonly cause disparities between the healthcare qualities of different peoples, nations, cultures, and other classifications. In the case of my focus area of HIV, despite deterrence efforts, some sets of people are not only affected by HIV/AIDS, STDs, but faces higher mortality rate compare to others. Majority of these cases can be linked to disparities

Growing up in a small rural community in Jamaica I had a real life view of an area on the forefront of poverty with limited access to proper and affordable healthcare. Twelve years ago I can recall watching my cousin slowly declined from being a joyous mother and friend to a torpid corpse that deteriorated from breast cancer. Despite all the help and effort to sustain her life with the little resources available, she died nine months later even after having a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. The cancer had metastasize long before she was diagnosed. Losing her was devastating, especially on her husband and two children. Her death and as well as other experiences contributed to my appreciation physicians and other health care workers.

As a future alumna, I will advance the mission of Mercy College by delivering health care services as a PA to under-served urban populations with compassion and sensitivity. Being raised in an under-served community and being a premed student in Harlem, NY, I understand the challenges of being a healthcare professional in the United States. In addition, being in a diverse environment have augmented my studies in public health, and have provided me with concrete examples of how individuals can benefit from caring, sensitive providers, and how communities suffer when adequate health care services are not available or affordable. I believe as a future student at Mercy College, I will be fortunate enough to learn about the social responsibility

In the United States, one is constantly hearing of the “struggle low-income communities face.” While it is often alluded to on large scale news channels, such as Fox and CNN, and is spoken of on daily talk shows, not very many people often take the time to discuss what the problem with these low income communities actually is.

Racial discrimination is the ground root of disparities letting African Americans to low socioeconomic status and poor health outcomes. Why disproportionality in health is so high among African Americans in the United States? Disparities limit the continuity of improvement in overall quality of care and population health and result in poor health outcomes as well as unnecessary costs. Despite an upsurge focus on reducing disparities and increasing a set of advantages to address disparities in the federal, state, community, and provider level, there is still disproportionately high among African-Americans. It is important to pay attention, recognize the disparities and address the wide range of factors that contribute to disparities in health and health care. Racism and cultural mistrust provide reasonable contributions to the disproportionate care among African Americans, yet these variables likely reveal variations in the health care services. The connections of racial discrimination, socioeconomic status, cultural mistrust, and perceptions of racism create an intricate set of variables that could be potential to impact the health of African Americans.

To this day, my mother, a CNA at a local hospital where she’s been for the past 24 year, fears going to hospitals herself; let that sink in. This is common in the community in which I was raised and I’m sure in many other underserved communities across this nation as well. Many do not trust in our healthcare system and I want to work towards changing their perspective. I want to educate those in underserved communities on the importance of taking care of themselves and seeking treatment when necessary. Having been raised in an underserved community myself, I believe that I am in a unique position to truly make a difference. My other hope is that I can inspire the children of these communities to follow their dreams. Maybe, just maybe, they will be able to use our similarities as a starting point as they embark on the lifelong journey of self-identification and self-discovery. Having the opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a physician, coupled with the potential impact that I can have on communities that are often neglected is the reason that I want to be a healthcare professional.

Low income families, are truly affected when it comes to nutrition. This is a result of limited to no access to supermarkets in the communities they live in (Horning, Fulkerson, 2014). According to Horning and Fulkerson, low income communities have more access to fast food than they do nutritious food. In communities where access to healthy foods are limited, everyone health is affected. Children from low income households often lack fruits and vegetables in their diet, nutritious foods are often replaced with fast food or junk food. This affects their growth and relatively leads to children becoming overweight and even obese. Children with obesity often experience discrimination in their communities in addition to being targets of bullying

Medical care often conducted within poverty and ethical community are often left with gaps. This study “Patients’ engagement in primary care: powerlessness and compounding jeopardy. A qualitative study” by Nicolette F Sheridan, Timothy W. Kenealy, Jacquie D. Kidd, Jacqueline I G Schmidt-Busby, Jennifer E. Hand, Deborah L Raphael, Ann M. McKillop and Harold H. Rea is just one that aims to answer the many unanswered questions about medical care in poor older adults with chronic conditions. Ultimately, this study documents and evaluates the breach older adults face when visiting a professional. Additionally, the affect race, poverty and chronic illness may have on the overall experience at a health care facility.

A challenge I see in my poverty infested community is lack of awareness. Lack of awareness meaning blind on the opportunities and resources accessible to them. Most people in my community young and old are stuck in a chain that has left them stagnant because they are not told as kids and young adults that there is a way to break the chain instead many become only what they see. Today, I address these issues by tutoring and mentoring kids in my community to help them break the chains and succeed. Also I am brainstorming with my aunt a yearly scholarship for underprivileged kids in my community. In the future I hope to fully accomplish my goal to create a scholarship and programs to create awareness, stability and support for kids. My talk with