Summary
The health of the Black population has been significantly affected by the sequence of recent events and external societal factors. People of color encounter many severe challenges due to the prevalent health disparities and racial inequality (Oni‑Orisan, Mavura, Banda, Thornton, and Sebro, 2021). As a result, communities of color are at higher risk for health challenges, particularly during the spread of coronavirus (Williams, 2018). People of color face health issues, such as increased mental illnesses, substance abuse, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Given the risk and complexity of the low state of health among Black people, it is crucial to take immediate steps to combat such disparities and ensure the equal and fair distribution of medical care.
The Current Services
The immense amount of stress and violent behavior of the rest of the population toward Black people increases the risks of mental disorders, provoking depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide (Taylor and Chatters, 2020). It is also the leading cause of the overall poor physical health of the population in question. Nevertheless, there are many helpful health services designed to help the Black community to address such health issues:
- Black Emotional and Mental Health (BEAM): focus on healing, wellness, and liberation of Black people.
- The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation: eliminating stigma and promoting trust for Black communities in the mental health realm.
- Therapy for Black Girls: helping Black women to address mental issues through the online platform and finding a therapist in the target area.
- Dr. Ebony’s My Therapy Cards: helping women of color grow and develop in the context of emotional and mental health.
- Innopsych: changing the role of Black healthcare providers and communities’ perspectives on therapy.
- Safe Black Space: focus on dealing with cultural and racial trauma.
As a rule, these health services are funded with the help of federal resources and state and local sources.
The Statistics
The health statistics of the Black population are negatively overwhelming. With one of the largest Black populations worldwide, in the United States, more than sixteen percent of Black people reported mental illnesses over the past year (CDC, 2019). This number constitutes over seven million people of color who struggle with mental disorders. Black people (18-49 years old) are twice more likely to die of heart disease than the white population (Taylor and Chatters, 2020). They are also usually provided with lower-quality medication or therapy than the general part of society. The substance abuse statistics reveal that 6.9% of African Americans deal with a substance use disorder, but they are less prone to alcohol abuse (4.5% of the total population) (SAMHSA, 2018). One in three African-Americans suffers from high blood pressure. People of color encounter severe complications from diabetes, including end-stage renal disease and lower-extremity amputations.
Necessary Measures and Additional Initiatives
To improve the health status of the modern Black community, it is fundamental to raise public awareness and collaboratively work to reduce unequal healthcare approaches to Black people:
- Increase access to medical treatment: implement policies for immigrants; extend medical insurance coverage.
- Promote social support: form partnerships with community centers to foster Black social mobilization and reduce racial stigma over mental health issues.
- Advance current mental health services: regulate federal tax credits for mental health specialists; use financial grants to advance psychiatry programs in rural areas.
- Regulate existing policies maintaining structural racism: analyze health data by race and ethnicity at the local and national levels to identify the areas requiring improvement.
- Improve Black doctors’ engagement: create culturally sensitive medical care and diversify the clinical personnel.
The initiatives designed to fight the health disparities in black communities should be addressed on the federal, state, and local levels and with the help of private organizations. To track the effectiveness of each measure applied, it is important to test adherence to new practices among the target population and analyze how they affect the delivery of patient-centered care. Stakeholders and volunteers involved must regularly communicate with medical staff and patients to evaluate the level of improvement in patient experience. The data received from the evaluation should give the whole picture of the initiatives’ efficacy.
References
CDC (2019). Summary health statistics: National health interview survey: 2017. Table A-7. Web.
Oni‑Orisan, A., Mavura, Y., Banda, Y., Thornton, T. A., & Sebro, R. (2021). Embracing genetic diversity to improve black health. The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(12), 1163–1167.
SAMHSA (2018). National survey on drug use and health (NSDUH): African Americans. Web.
Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (2020). Psychiatric disorders among older Black Americans: Within- and between-group differences. Innovation in Aging, 4(3).
Williams, D. R. (2018). Stress and the mental health of populations of color: Advancing our understanding of race-related stressors. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 59(4), 466–485.