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accessHealthNews.net
July 2024
Volume 10 | Issue No. 86
In a recent installment of a webinar series
titled "Racial Equity and Mental Health,"
panelists examined the importance of
providers contextualizing medical racism
when helping patients of color. "The
Big Picture: The History of Mental Health
and Race" explored the history of race
and epidemics in the U.S. and a timeline
of global health care advancements.
Together they painted a broader picture:
There is a well-documented history of
providers aligning themselves with the
oppressive side of systemic racism. Racial
equity in health care is not achievable
without first acknowledging this history
and actively working to provide a safe,
comfortable, and trusting experience for
patients of color.
Race and Epidemics in the U.S.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and
national vaccination efforts, examples of
racism in medical history were brought
to light as reasons for caution. Black
Americans hesitant to receive a vaccine
pointed to the Tuskegee experiments
as one example of many to be wary of
trusting providers. While the intention to
achieve herd immunity is positive, some
vaccine campaigns may have alienated
Black people by failing to recognize
or validate their concerns. Lacking the
historical context of racism in health care
both weakens patients' trust in medical
professionals and allows for more risk of
malpractice.
According to panelist Kirby Randolph,
Ph.D., observing and tracking what
happened to slaves and newly freed Black
Americans throughout health epidemics
was not a priority. Because of this, the
medical research we have on these health
crises lacks countless experiences. Dr.
Randolph pointed to the 1792 Yellow Fever
epidemic in Philadelphia where Black
people were believed to be immune and
were therefore excluded from treatment
and data collection.
READ MORE
As we commemorate National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, we
are republishing an article initially published in August 2021. This piece was
written after a 3-part webinar series that explored the History of Mental Health
and Race, hosted by REACH Healthcare.
Feel free to download the webinar here.
