Cultural Competency and Healthcare

I recently attended a Global Health Forum sponsored by the Rhodes GenUN club, which was intended to address topics related to global health. This discussion came in the form of a panel of Rhodes professors, students, and community advocates, all speaking on different aspects of local healthcare needs, as well as national issues. Dr. Tom McGowan, a professor at Rhodes, spoke on cultural competence in healthcare, and how huge disparities exist in the quality and types of healthcare received by minority populations. Professor McGowan argued that a lack of cultural competence was a product of limited access to healthcare resources as well as the lack of diversity in the workplaces in the healthcare field. This lack of diversity can be seen in the staggering fact that only four percent of physicians in the US are African Americans, and even fewer are Hispanic. Professor McGowan argued that this disproportionate amount of white doctors leads to an inability to understand non-white patient needs.

The impacts of a lack of cultural competency in healthcare can be seen in the statistics surrounding the health of minority groups in this country. Minority populations are at much higher risks of developing chronic illnesses, and have higher morbidity rates from these diseases. African Americans and Latinx individuals are more likely to have chronic illnesses, and also more likely to be limited in activity due to this illnesses. The consequence of these increased rates of disease are higher medical costs and lowered ability to perform necessary activities, as compared with white counterparts. Further, minority groups show much lower levels of satisfaction with their healthcare, report working less with their physicians, and less participation in medical decisions. As a result of these health disparities, a cycle of generational unhealthiness can be fostered, leading to an almost inescapable inability to be healthy.

Systematic racism takes many different forms in this country, but I believe on of the most impactful is the inability for minority populations to access adequate health resources. The US has some of the best healthcare in the world, yet is unable to ensure that all citizens are given equal access, often through extremely high healthcare costs. In order to overcome this inequality, cultural competency must be fostered throughout the healthcare system, not only with those who directly interact wit patients, but also those who create the systems for treating patients. This should include more avenues for minority groups to join the healthcare field. An increase in multicultural voices is necessary to combat the extreme lack of understanding of non-white voices and experiences. This would foster a greater ability of patients to interact in a meaningful and productive way with their healthcare providers. Finally, providing equal and universal access to health resources is crucial to break the cycle of generational health disparities. In a country so advanced in health, there is no reason why there should be huge portions of the population left with staggering healthcare needs, solely on the basis of their race.

Word count: 496

Pledged: Zach Thornton

Source: https://hpi.georgetown.edu/agingsociety/pubhtml/cultural/cultural.html