Mass incarceration is a true epidemic. It is also one fueled by social determinants, including race. Over the past four decades of “war on drugs” and “tough on crime” policies, the US incarceration rate has increased by over 500% [pdf]. There are over 2 million men and women in jails and prisons across the country… Read More »
I have been lucky enough in my career so far to visit communities around the United States to support public health efforts. While every community is different, one experience has remained the same: I am an outsider, and often a privileged one at that. Working across so many communities has given me a lot of… Read More »
A relatively undiscussed and unconsidered form of discrimination continues to plague our health care institutions. It’s about time we talk about it. Insurance-based discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of a patient based on his/her insurance status. This type of discrimination mostly affects the 28.9 million Americans who have no health insurance coverage, although there is… Read More »
American Indians (AIs) typically have poorer health outcomes than any other racial or ethnic minority group in the United States. This includes an increased risk for cancer, diabetes, injury related mortality, and infant mortality. AIs tend to have the highest rates of poverty and low rates of insurance coverage. Much of the AI population uses the Indian… Read More »
As unconscious bias and discrimination comes to the forefront of national conversation, it is fitting to discuss bias in the healthcare system. Though we pledge to treat all patients fairly and to the best of our capacity, regardless of their background, increasing evidence suggests that healthcare providers, too, have bias and exhibit behaviors perceived by… Read More »
Adequacy of healthcare for transgender patients has recently come to light, particularly with the increased discussion of trans persons in the media. Trans individuals identify their gender differently from their assigned sex at birth. Trans healthcare is an emerging field of research, and this increased focus continues to uncover the lack of knowledge amongst providers… Read More »