Unnatural Cases Video Analysis

Providers possess a multiplicity of roles in today’s society. It is typical that patients trust their physicians and should feel comfortable seeing them; however, not all communities can feel this way about their providers. Iatrophobia is prominent within the African-American community, and a history of medical abuses against this community may have a link to such present-day health inequalities as shorter life spans and higher infant mortality rates than Whites.

In a perfect world, race, ethnicity and culture would have no negative effect on the medical care we receive, yet problems do arise and it affects the quality of care the patient receives. Language barrier, poor socioeconomic status, and poor health literacy also contribute to health care disparity. For Lia, it was more than her skin color, it was all of the above, her parents did not speak English and they were illiterate. They had trouble understanding the American healthcare system, had trouble or little interest in adjusting to or understanding the American culture. They didn’t work, which in addition to cross cultural misunderstanding, helped contribute to animosity between the Hmong and the host community, because some in the Merced area did not like or appreciate the fact that some Hmong did not work and relied on welfare to make ends meet. All these factors, contributed to the poor quality of

In looking on the subject of race you realize there is a racial stigma when it comes to health care. The American health care system is geared to treat the majority, while the minority suffers. As one looks at the African American society we see the racial discrimination in the health care system. According to the American heart association, “African Americans are 28% more likely

When considering the American medical system, it is clear that the policy solutions for disparities occurring outside the clinical encounter

When attempting to understand health care disparity, one must first also understand race. As race applies to health care inequity, Williams and Sternthal (2010) suggested that race is not purely biological but also a social classification system created by the hegemonic class. As such, favorable traits are those attributable to whites, thus creating an atmosphere predisposed to prejudices. In a health care setting where providers rely on swift judgment and scientific data to arrive at decisions, culturally ingrained norms are bound to influence attitudes

The Institute of Medicine’s Report on Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial/Ethical Disparities in Health Care states that cultural bias is one contributor to racial and ethnic minorities having higher rates of poor health outcomes than Whites in the case of disease; even when income, employment

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.

As a nurse aide working in a hospital, there are multiple instances where privilege and differences in power affect the way I, and those around me, engage with patients. For the privilege memo, I wish to discuss how my own personal benefits of being a white person affect the patients I work with as well as other minorities. For the community profile, I plan to take a deeper look into the black community, if possible specifically Somalian Americans. There are numerous new Somalian Americans in the Fargo community that I have encountered before both in and out of the health care systems. Delving into their experiences with health care in the America will aide my attempt to educate myself about minorities in health care environments both nationally and

African Americans are twice as likely to die of an illness such as cancer and heart disease as well as, less likely to have health access compared to any other race. African Americans are yet subject to racial discrimination and stereotypes in the health care, that leads them without the correct health screenings and treatments. The root of these racial disparities connects with the intersectionality of race, class, gender and education.

Like previously stated, there has been a vast history of racial issues particularly in the medical field. These issues have led to minorities, especially African Americans, to not trust medical professionals and procedures. A study found in the Archives of Internal Medicine gives shocking results by stating that “African Americans were far less trusting than whites of the medical establishment and medical researchers in particular. African Americans were 79.2 percent more likely to believe that someone like them would be used as a guinea pig without his or her consent” (Clark 118). There are many cases in the past which would make a minority feel neglected and like a “guinea pig”. For instance, Henrietta Lacks, the main character of Rebecca Skloot’s book, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951. Her doctors were shocked at the terrifying rate her tumor was growing (Skloot 117). Her cells were taken from her cervix and they were distributed world wide without her or her family’s consent. The distribution went on for years even after her death

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

The promotion of health is vastly switching into exposing what could be America's racist health care system. People have reason to believe that there are different health care for each race, gender, class, and sexuality. In A Conceptual Framework For Understanding Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality, by Lynn Weber, there is a suggestion of power relationships playing a role in different health care. Different health care is dictated by hierarchies determining who gets what kind of health care. Two positions are head-to-head with each other, "There are power hierarchies in which one group exerts control over another, securing its position of dominance in the system, and in which substantial material and nonmaterial resources-such as wealth, income, or access to health care and education-are at stake" (Weber, 20). An example of this is the Flint, Michigan water crisis. Flint, Michigan has pipes that do not produce healthy, nutritious water for residents, but instead gives out lead-poisoned water. The water crisis

Sally Satel on the other hand is a supporter of the fact that racism is not a serious problem in the health care system. Even though she agrees with IOM about health care disparity, she thinks racism is not a cause. That is what she shows the reader in her article. She argues that the health care system is colorblind. Satel she mentions the causes of health care disparities as well as ways to correct the disparities. In her opinion, “racism isn't to blame for health disparities, but rather race itself” (Satel 2). Satel identifies two possible reasons to counter the notion that racism is the cause of health care disparities. First, she quotes that, “white and black patients, on average, do not even visit the same population of physicians—making the idea of preferential treatment by individual doctors a far less compelling explanation for disparities in health” (Satel 2). Another reason is “that a higher proportion of the doctors that black patients tend to see may not be in a position to provide optimal care” (Satel 1).

The physician is expected to demonstrate an awareness of injustices pervasive throughout their local communities, as well as the global community. Moreover, the physician must exhibit dedication to the rectification of these inequities by leveraging their knowledge, resources and positions in order to lead, and to effect change. As an Ethiopian-Canadian, the issue of minority underrepresentation in healthcare is a matter that I find profoundly riveting. Clinical trials are often conducted utilizing cohorts lacking appropriate minority representation. This results in findings lacking suitable generalizability. As the practice of medicine is rooted in evidence garnered by such trials, this oversight results in the inevitable sub-standard care

The underlying issues in both cases are racial discrimination. For Cheryl Boulden in the affirmative action case the issue is being “an African American woman among the good ol’ boys in Indiana.” She was recruited because of race and her permanent handicap was seen as an asset for a diversity program lacking any. Yet these qualities made her a target of racism. Susan Finn’s ethnic discrimination presents a dilemma of how to deal with a contract physician’s abusive behavior “toward Hispanics and female staff as well as patients” (Reeves, 2006, p. 79). While the issues of racial and gender discrimination is not unusual, the failure of these agencies to address multiple complaints is.