According to Baldwin (2003) health care disparities are the differences in health and health care between population groups including race, socioeconomic status, age, location, gender, disability, and sexual orientation. Disparities limits the improvements of quality health care which could result in unnecessary health care expenses. Factors that are contributing to disparities within today’s society are lack of access to quality health care and the number of individuals who are uninsured. As the population continue to grow and become more diverse health care disparities will continue to increase. Patient centered care efforts will improve health care and will assist with eliminating disparities. Patient centered care will promote patient
When most people think about helping a senior with their transportation, they think about transportation services provided to seniors who live independently in their own home but need help getting to and from appointments, engagements, and the like. Access to this transportation ensures that seniors are able to maximize their freedom and maintain their links to the community.
Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health experienced by socially disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and other population groups, and communities (Healthy Aging, 2017). An example of a health disparity would be if women were more likely than men to die from pancreatic cancer. Anyone is capable of having a health disparity. Several factors such as gender, age, social class, race, and where the person lives can cause one to inhibit a health disparity, lessening his or her chances of obtaining good health.
The concept of racial bias –more specifically implicit or subconscious racial bias– has received increased attention over the years as racial and ethnic gaps in achievement (largely educational and economic), treatment, and survival outcomes persevere despite the expansion of concerted efforts to focus on the social determinants of health (SDOH) and combating longstanding, overt discriminatory barriers and practices. The increased interest in as well as investments made within the study of implicit or “hidden” biases is largely attributed to the field of social psychology and the research of practitioners like Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt and Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, whose work have emphasized the importance of focusing on the role that contextual environmental factors and social conditioning play, rather than just explicit racial attitudes, in explaining the persistence of racial inequality.
The lack of financial resources can be a big problem to access to health care. The lack of available finance is a barrier to health care for many Americans but access to health care is reduced most among minority populations. The irregular source of care is another reason why access to health is a disparity. Compared to white individuals ethnic or racial minorities are less likely to be able to visit the same doctor on a regular basis and tend to rely more on clinics and emergency rooms (News Medical Life Sciences).
The lecture, led by Dr. Christian Dimaano, discussed a variety of health disparities and then went into an in depth look at Henrietta Lacks, and the use of her cells in scientific research. He described health disparities as the differences of health problems between races, lifestyles, and mental processes. This was a very interesting topic for me, as a nursing major, I hadn’t really thought about health disparities before, so it was interesting to think about all of the potentially higher health risks that can occur simply because a patients race, or mental state. He also discussed the social determinants of heath and how things like your physical environment, economic stability, social community, and education can all influence your health.
People hope and seeks long and healthier lives. Thus, health care is the act of taking preventative or necessary medical procedures to improve people well-being. Improvement or preventative may be done with surgery, the administering of medicine, or other alterations in a person 's lifestyle. These services are usually offered through a health care system made up of hospitals and physicians. Although, the health care system is set up to reduce or to prevent disease etc., there is a gap or disparity in the US health care system. The sexual orientation, race, age, etc., in the US deprived certain groups from receiving equal opportunity in the health care and the health care. Thus, making the disparities in the US health system an
Health disparities is not only a Clayton County issue but a national issue as well. Consequently, Healthy People 2020 initiated a decisive goal to reduce health disparities among all Americans by the year 2020. One of this goals of Healthy People 2020 is the reduction of infant mortality rate among Americans to a target goal of 6.0 deaths per 1,000 live births.1 In 2015, infant mortality rates for black non-Hispanics were 2.2 times that of white non-Hispanics. As it relates to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) black non-Hispanics mothers were 2 times greater than that of white non-Hispanics mothers. Furthermore, black non-Hispanics mothers were 2.3 times more likely to beginning prenatal care in the 3rd trimester, or seek no care, than white
Healthcare disparities are a significant issue in the U.S. with factors such as quality of care, access to care, and insurance playing a role in discrepancies. Statistics have shown that healthcare disparities have improved but are still an issue in the United States. These disparities have been improving throughout history with efforts made by Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. The leading cause of the disparities is insurance coverage. The current intervention being used is the ACA, which was put into place by President Obama. The ACA has been making advances in decreasing the amount of uninsured Americans and trying to minimize the amount of healthcare disparities. With the advances throughout history there is still a long way to
This project discusses key health disparities that exist between Blacks and Whites in the United States Health Care System. This analysis also discusses the historical origins of the health disparities that exist between Blacks and Whites in the U.S. Health care system. This analysis describes the complex social, political and health factors of health disparities between Black and Whites. This describes the steps individuals can take to combat racism and decrease health disparities among African Americans and whites.
There is a large difference in the quality of care between minorities and whites. As time progresses, this becomes an issue because the number of minorities are increasing and soon that number will double the population of whites. Disparities in palliative care for minorities is limited and lacks true quality. Minorities have a harder time receiving quality palliative care because of lack of access to medication and communication with doctors. African Americans and other minorities are more likely to die in the hospital from illnesses than whites. Some factors that may contribute to the lack of care for minorities are cultural and religious beliefs, geographic locations, and preferences for treatment (Johnson 2003). Although, these may be factors that contribute to the reason it is not exact. Access to care and research for minorities who suffer from advanced illnesses, palliative care, is limited; the availability of high quality care is not equivalent to those of non-minority races.
According to our textbook, In the US whites hold a significant advantage in health and longevity. The life expectancy for whites is averaged at 79.0 years compared with African Americans at 75.3. Those statistics were provided in the textbook by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012c. The textbook also talked about how during Bill Clintons presidency David Satcher a surgeon made the reduction of health disparities by race one of his primary goals. Some reasoning behind this provided by the text states that this gap might come from blacks being disproportionately poor in the US in which being poor causes added stress. It is also pointed out that upper class African Americans can also have higher rates of hypertension
Health care disparities are unfortunate and being culturally competent is an essential step toward eliminating these inequalities. In this discussion, I will review what disparities are associated with the Appalachian culture and how they affect health status, employment, and education. I will also identify two nursing interventions that could be taken to help decrease the affect that health disparities have on the Appalachians and review what the biggest challenge would be when implementing the interventions.
In this paper I intend to look at racism and the ethical issues that came into motion for the African American population. I will look at why African Americans are less likely to be medically treated, how the their rights as clients were often not looked at when deciding how to treat or use the information gathered from the African American population, and what the long term effects were from the Henreietta Lachs case.
Sociologist David Williams states that all policies impact health policy. This is exemplified across a wide rage of policies in the US. These policies are flawed and corrupt, polarizing the nation racially and by socioeconomic status (SES) and resulting in great disparities in health. Although policy and law has evolved, presenting a more progressive and “color-blind” front, it remains an obstacle to ending disparities in health. Many of these policies, such as housing, environmental, and labor, are interconnected and have many aspects to them that affect health policy. In order to address racial and socioeconomic disparities in health policy, we must address the policies that contribute to this disparity.