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Topic:

Barriers Contributing to Lack of Quality Health Care and the Approaches to Address Health Care Disparities

Coursework Instructions:

ESSAY QUESTION #1

In California, people of color consistently face higher rates of sickness and mortality than whites. These higher rates are experienced not just for one or two diseases, but across a very broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries. Whether one looks at maternity health, infant health, chronic illnesses such as diabetes, or mortality rates, the disturbing fact remains – there are serious racial and ethnic disparities in health.

The rate of infant mortality among African Americans in California is two times higher than for any other ethnic group, and two and a half times that of whites.  Latino adults are over 35 percent more likely to have diabetes than are white adults. Asian/Pacific Islanders have the highest mortality rate for heart attack, stroke, and pneumonia.  Native Americans are at a higher risk for mental health disorders than other racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

These facts are concerning for California’s public health since no single racial or ethnic group forms a majority of California's population, making the state a “minority-majority” state.

Therefore, persistent disparities across communities of color are an issue for a significant proportion of California.

1. Using the readings and discussions from the course, describe factors that contribute to these disparities.

2. Using the readings and discussions from the course, provide at least one culturally appropriate approach to address each factor.

  

 ESSAY QUESTION #2

Robin Woods is a 39 year old gay man who has had a triple by-pass operation and is on a mixed surgical ward. His heart disease diagnosis is still very recent and he is shocked by the discovery of his serious illness and the fast progress to surgery. He lives with his partner Peter and he is also supported by a close network of mainly gay men. Generally he is quite at ease with his sexuality but last night he talked to a male nurse about how uncomfortable he feels on a ward where nearly all the other patients are quite old. He feels he can neither greet his friends with a hug and a kiss nor receive physical comforting and affection from his partner. During the time when he was most seriously ill his partner hadn’t felt able to stay overnight which added to Robin’s distress.

The only time sex or sexuality was discussed was in a group discharge meeting when some information was given about when it would be safe to resume sexual activity. Robin had questions he would have liked to have asked but couldn’t possibly have raised them in what he assumed to be a heterosexual group setting.  Whereas all of the above caused Robin distress, what most upset him was the surgeon’s insistence that he had an HIV test both before surgery, which he refused, and then more insistently when a member of staff had a needlestick injury from a needle used on Robin.  He has never had an HIV test; he can’t rule out the possibility of being HIV positive, but to date he has never felt ready to have a test. Reeling from the shock of heart disease and surgery he certainly feels he couldn’t cope with one.

Identify all the barriers contributing to lack of quality health care in this situation. Describe the one you think most contributes to health care disparities among sexual minority groups. Finally, suggest at least four culturally appropriate approaches that might be used to improve his experience in the hospital and explain how each would result in a better quality of care. Reference the readings to prove your points


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Final Examination
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Final Examination
Essay Question 1
In California, the most surprising thing in the healthcare sector is that people of color encounter higher rates of mortality and sickness than whites. May it be infant health, chronic diseases, mortality rates, and maternity health, significant ethnic and racial health disparities exist. One of the factors contributing to these health disparities of people of color in California is the poverty rate (Chapter Two). The poverty rate of the minority groups in California is higher than that of the whites. Since many individuals of color do not have enough money, they do not visit hospitals when they get sick. For instance, African American males have a high prevalence of prostate cancer since they do not go for screening to prevent the disease. Instead, they visit health facilities when their illnesses are in the advanced stages, making it difficult for them to be treated.
The other factor that contributes to health disparities of the minority people in California is socioeconomic status. The majority of these individuals live below the poverty level, and they cannot afford to pay high charges in hospitals. Race and culture also hinder people of color from getting appropriate medical attention in California (Chapter Two). For instance, the infant mortality rate of African Americans is two and a half times more than that of whites. When it comes to Latino adults, they are 35% more likely to get diabetes than their white counterparts. In that light, it appears that belonging to the minority group has a form of discrimination where whites get the best healthcare services instead of people of color. Despite California being a “minority-majority” state, if there were no cultural or racial discrimination in the healthcare sector, all people would receive similar medical services regardless of their ethnic or cultural backgrounds.
However, these factors that facilitate health disparities in California can be addressed using culturally appropriate approaches. The high poverty level and socioeconomic factors can be eliminated by empowering the people of color in California and developing administrative and organizational accommodations. In particular, the federal and state government should give incentives to minorities to motivate them to start new businesses to grow and create more employment opportunities. Additionally, a health insurance program should be introduced with minimal premium charges to encourage minority people to visit hospitals when they get sick instead of waiting for their diseases to progress to advanced stages. The culturally appropriate approach to eliminate racial or cultural discrimination is training and the use of community health workers for...
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