Health Disparities to Me

frontline healthcare workers 

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    The current situation we are facing, it has brought to light many problems that have been covered, specifically health disparities. My view of a health disparity is the inequality of health treatment within the disadvantaged populations. The CDC explains is as, "Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations." 

According to the Office of Behavioral Health Equity (OBHE) within The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Blacks and Latinos have substantially lower access to mental health and substance use treatment. In the paper, Double Jeopardy: COVID-19 and Behavioral Health Disparities for Black and Latino Communities in the U.S., it underlines the health disparities and the problems that people of color are facing during the pandemic.

    Personally, I think the reason why there is this disparity is because of the unfair treatment of those with low socioeconomic status. According to the Race, Economics, And Social Status, written by Reginald A. Noël, used the statistics from The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to understand the connection between race, social status, and economics. In the paper, he shows that people of color tend to be on the lower socioeconomic side. 

    Low socioeconomic status can make it extremely hard to quarantine because they need to work to survive. They are more likely to work in higher-risk areas. They have a higher chance of taking public transportation. People of color already have higher risks of underlying medical issues, such as diabetes, asthma, etc. So, if someone is a person of color and currently has a low socioeconomic status the person will likely be affected by the health disparities within our country.

 

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