For this entire country’s history, racism and the struggle between races has always been an issue. One issue we see today is the systemic injustice in the healthcare system, and the impact it has on the African American community. The first article discusses a study that was completed with ~2,200 Covid patients in Michigan 60 days after they had been released from the hospital. The point of this observation was to see what their experiences were after getting released and how they adjusted back to working. The study showed that 50% of black patients were readmitted to the hospital within 60 days of them being released while 65% of black patients experienced severe negative financial impacts. Furthermore, on average, it took black patients 35.5 days to return to work, which was the longest out of any racial group (1). This example only highlights an inequality in our healthcare system that exists between African Americans and everyone else. Jamila Taylor, author of the second article, outlines several examples of how these inequalities exist. One of the first ones, is with insurance and how 4.3% more of African Americans are uninsured compared to their white counterparts (2). There are also discrepancies between maternal mortality rates, infant mortality rates (twice that of whites) (2). Overall, there different ways to show how African Americans are treated differently and less equal in the U.S. healthcare system. Part of this is due to location. In regions that are predominantly black or hispanic, “they are less likely to have access to hospitals and other healthcare providers, and if they do, they are more often lower quality” (2).
One of the biggest themes we’ve talked about in class that I think this relates to the closest, is the theory of Othering. It appears to me that depending on if you are the One vs the Other, you receive a different level of healthcare. To me this is something that needs to be fixed. I don’t entirely know where I stand on universal healthcare, but I do believe that everyone deserves the right to the healthcare they need, and should have the access to seek this treatment. One of the reasons I think we see these disparities is because of the connection between insurance companies and healthcare. As noted above there is a difference in the amount of each population that is insured, but I also think there is a difference in the quality of this insurance. While insurance companies can be in the private sector, I think they hold enough of a bigger-picture impact that makes this a systemic injustice.
(1) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-covid-patients-receive-fewer-medical-follow-ups-study-shows-rcna2774
(2) https://tcf.org/content/report/racism-inequality-health-care-african-americans/?session=1
Hello! I really enjoyed reading your diary of systemic injustice showcase. You provided a lot of facts that I was unfamiliar with before and it really helped me to understand the injustice that African Americans face when it comes to our healthcare system as a whole. Great post!
Hi, I really enjoy your post about not only inequalities in the healthcare system, but racial inequalities present in the healthcare system. Public health is at an all time low, especially after COVID. I think that this is a pivotal moment in time to analyze not only how the country or world has been impacted, but highlight discrepancies within minorities and their availability to healthcare and insurance. As a future healthcare professional, the term “standard of care” is drilled into your mind. Which basically means to provide the treatment accepted by medical experts as a proper treatment for a certain type of disease, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, or age. Obviously within your showcase, it is clear that the standard of care is lacking across the board.
Hello, I really enjoyed your diary post! I actually wrote about a very similar issue. My diary showcase discussed how the history of redlined districts created and are still prohibiting many Black communities from receiving adequate healthcare, and are being disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. I think the points you made were very interesting, and brought more statistical analysis to the message I was also trying to convey!
Hello, I first wanted to say that I came away from your post with a better understanding of the systemic issues in our health care system. I thought the studies you linked and quoted were quite insightful and added to the depth of your post overall. The most alarming takeaway I had from the post would the fact that in regions with a larger black and Hispanic population, it is much harder to get access to healthcare and hospitals. There are many issues our health care system has in terms of systemic racism, but that is where the problem starts and needs to be addressed. Until that issue is fixed, it will be difficult to improve many of the other issues that must be addressed.
Thank you for sharing the information! Which hospital are you referring to and what area of Michigan is the hospital located in? There are many components of the U.S. healthcare system that can be refined and improved, however I cannot recall any modifications that need to be made which involve race. I agree with the photo you provided, the idea of systemic racism and its toxic effects can be validly seen as a public health crisis. No where in Dr. Ballard’s sign does it say “..a public health crisis for African Americans” though. As we all know, public health refers to the public which is obviously comprised of multiple races of people, as we live in the United States.
Hello, I thought your presentation was put together very well. I think it is important to touch on the topic of healthcare and how it impacts different people of different races. I thought it was interesting how it took black patients 35 days to get back to work. This was very informative. Good Job!