HEALTH CARE OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS:

ADDRESSING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN MINORITY

COMMUNITIES

Dr. Marleece Barber, MD, MHCM

Addressing Health Disparities in Minority Communities

Objective

At the end of this session, you will be able to:1. Explore social and cultural healthcare challenges

2. Identify career and corporate opportunities

3. Connect with leaders and managers engaged in healthcare reform

4. Examine organizational contributions and responsibilities in addressing healthcare disparities

Dr. Marleece Barber

• Chronic Disease: a Familial Story• The Impact of Hypertension, Diabetes, CAD,

and Depression

Explore Social and Cultural Healthcare Challenges

• Minorities tend to experience greater morbidity and mortality due to chronic disease

• African Americans twice as likely as whites to have diabetes

• HTN and high cholesterol contribute to complications of diabetes – cardiovascular events, amputations

Increased Prevalence of Chronic Diseases and Health Disparities

• Language and social barriers• Differences in educational backgrounds• Long held personal beliefs (religious, cultural)

that the provider may be unaware of

LGBT Health Disparities

• Discrimination and violence against LGBT persons is associated with higher incidence of mental health disorders. (Depression, suicide and substance abuse

LGBT Health Disparities

• Less likely to have insurance• More likely to delay care• More often diagnosed with chronic

diseases or cancer• Less likely to receive preventive care

Mental Health Disparities

African American patients:• Usually seek professional help less often

and as a result delay or fail to receive treatment

• Often fear services• Have poor access to services needed• Frequently receive suboptimal

pharmacotherapy

Mental Health Cultural Issues

• Stigma associated with mental health disorders• Ineffective communication with providers• Perceived lack of empathy by the patient from

the provider

Disparities in Treatment of Osteoarthritis

• Most common type of arthritis, over 27 million in the US

• Degenerative changes, usually in knees, hips, and hands

• Painful condition• Joint Replacement- AA 24-46% less likely to

receive/elect

Disparities in Joint Replacement Utilization

• AA patients tend to opt for less invasive treatment

• Believe surgical treatments are ineffective and risk.

• Resignation that OA is part of aging

Identify Career and Corporate Opportunities

• Corporate Medical Director• Physician and nursing programs designed to

recruit to underserved areas• Health Promotion Specialists• Public Health Professionals• Nurse Educators

Healthcare Reform

• Aims to reduce disparities in health and healthcare by improving quality, reducing costs and increasing access to care.

Healthcare Reform

• Improve patient data collection stratified by race, ethnicity and language

• Develop quality improvement processes• Expand research on health and healthcare

disparities• Develop cultural competency programs for

health providers, and increase representation of minorities in healthcare

Healthcare Reform

• Provide affordable insurance options for underserved and underinsured individual

• Eliminate lifetime limits and pre-existing condition exclusion.

• Provide preventive care and screening services for tobacco, HIV and depression

Summary

Racial and ethnic minorities tend to have poorer health status and health outcomes than majority patients. By addressing language barriers, training culturally competent providers, increasing engagement, improving access to care, and implementing quality improvement initiatives, the gap can be lessened.

Questions?

Thank You