Why are racial and ethnic health disparities such a persistent problem in the United States?
A. The health care delivery system needs work. The crisis is in access, cost and quality. It is also the behaviors of providers and patients. Q. What type of behaviors? A. Patients don’t follow healthy lifestyles, and providers aren’t culturally sensitive enough. Q. How do you change behaviors? A. Patient education is the only way to change behaviors. We need patient education around diet. You have to do it young enough before bad habits start, and the education must be culturally sensitive. You need providers who are culturally sensitive. It has to be part of the educational institutions in medical schools. . . . There are some models out there, but it is not as widespread as it needs to be. Q. Ultimately, what needs to be done to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities? A. You need a witness at the table to keep people honest and to keep the issue alive and not have them glossed over. We have so few minority physicians that we don’t have enough witnesses at the table. You can
Related Questions
- How is the Collaborative working with others who it says have a role in addressing the problem of racial and ethnic disparities in health care, such as health care providers and policy-makers?
- Aren’t racial and ethnic disparities in health care delivery just one more problem in an all-around flawed health care system?
- Do Public Health and Human Service Providers Contribute to Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health?
