Impact of Health Disparities on Communities of Color

By Madison Langweil

“Overall, black people live four years less,” said Megan Deichler, Executive Director of Catskill Hudson Area Health Education Center. “There are racial disparities.”

These racial disparities experienced by many minorities in the state, and across the nation include: health equity, maternal health, and in the world of mental health. Deichler touched upon the opportunity to receive access to health care opportunities despite social position or circumstances known as health equity.

Economic stability, environment, education, food, and social position are all social determinants of health. Deichler explains that these are the key factors in which result in health outcomes like mortality, morbidity, life expectancy and even health status.
The distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine to help aid relief out of the one year pandemic, these racial disparities are drastically present.

“White Black and Latino people make up only 13 and 18 percent of the U.S. population, respectively, as of November they account for more than 50 percent of the country’s Covid-19 hospitalizations. Native Americans have been nearly twice as likely as white people to die from Covid-19,” writer and researcher Abdullah Shihipar said.

To combat this vital issue, Deichler addresses, is to implement health in all policies, expand one’s understanding, and strengthen community capacity.

These health equity issues overlap in other pressing issues such as maternal health in the back communities. Giovanna Rogow, executive director (MISN), spoke about the detrimental experiences that black women are facing today.

“Black women die at triple the rate as white women regardless of education, income or any socio-economic factors”, says Rogow. “22% of black women report discrimination when going to the doctor or clinic.”

Despite new medicine, techniques and procedures, there are still high maternal mortality rates– death caused by pregnancy complications, that largely impact black women. There are many causes of this such as hemorrhages and preeclampsia, but there are underlying social causes that minority women didn’t have access to that could have prevented these issues before these medical conditions worsened.

Rogow set a reminder that these problems don’t need to continue by educating oneself, screening for risk factors and joining women-inspired neighborhood networks as a support system.

Clinical program supervisor Edna Muhammad emphasized the importance in broadening public awareness about making space for people of color with mental health. Muhammad shared an example of this through her story of a 70-year-old black women who experienced a traumatizing event and when she went to an institution to seek help, the first facility was labeled “colored persons of the unsound mind.”

When it comes to mental health, it can be a lack of a strong support system and room for embarrassment, but one shouldn’t feel this way. Muhammad says that more often than not, “Many never know when to get support.”

Racial disparities can be as obvious as a comment or as subtle as a nonverbal cue, but overall there are ways to help oneself and others to create a more joyous and justice filled space.

“We are the ones creating policy, we create policy when we become involved,” Rogow said.