April is the National Minority Health Month!
Posted on Apr. 7, 2023 / DEIC / Subscribe 0
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April is the National Minority Health Month (NMHM) and is a time for reflection and education on the health disparities amongst racial and ethnic minority communities. The beginning of this awareness was established in 1915, by Booker T. Washington who started the National Negro Health Week to highlight health disparities among African Americans. Many of those disparities were thought to be the result of poor working and living conditions. NMHM has subsequently brought awareness to the gap in health disparities for all racial and ethnic minority communities, and now has a focus on health education and provider-patient communications. Many (or some) health care professionals have long-held beliefs and biases which may have harmful and fatal results. For instance, in 2021, the United States had an overall maternal death rate of 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, an increase from the previous 2 years, which reported 23.8 in 2020 and 20.1 in 2019. Amongst black women, in 2021, the maternal death rate was 69.9 per 100,000 live births, 2.6 times higher than the mortality rate among white women. Additionally, life expectancies across minority groups are significantly shorter than white, non-Hispanic communities. The most recent data from 2018 illustrates that while white women have an estimated life expectancy of about 81.2 years and their male counterparts have an expectancy of 76.4, black women had a life expectancy of 78.5, but their male counterparts had the lowest expectancy at 71.9 years.
An important aspect of this awareness is an analysis of the systems within which we experience health care. The US health care system has historically traumatized minority groups for centuries, particularly through unethical body procurement and research practices of our anatomical forefathers. As medical educators, we are the foundation of many of these ethical practices and helping to repair the trust of these communities. It may be beneficial for anatomists and anatomical service professionals to examine their practices and the practices of their institution. Are there ways in which we can improve the experience of these communities?
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