“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death. I see no alternative to direct action and creative nonviolence to raise the conscience of the nation.” These words were spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on March 25, 1966, … Continue reading The Most Inhuman Inequality
Systemic racism and relentless stress heighten Black women’s risk of life-threatening complications—and death—during and after pregnancy. About a year ago, I was among some public health professionals talking about the recent election when the conversation inevitably turned to race. One population health researcher, a Black woman, took a deep, ragged breath. Her tears spilled … Continue reading Pregnant While Black
In 1917, Woodrow Wilson bestowed on Puerto Ricans a class of U.S. citizenship that was decidedly less than what residents of the mainland enjoyed. It was the start of a long history of inequitable treatment by the U.S. government, which today has left Puerto Rico with a weakened infrastructure, a tattered healthcare safety net, and … Continue reading Puerto Rico’s Public Health Crisis Has Its Roots in a Law Signed 100 Years Ago
Last week the Commonwealth Fund released a report looking at whether the Affordable Care Act had succeeded in reducing the healthcare disparities between Black and Hispanic populations and whites. The conclusion: The ACA has made definite progress in narrowing the gap, particularly in those states that expanded Medicaid. However, disparities remain and Blacks and Hispanics … Continue reading Quick Read: The ACA has narrowed the healthcare access gap for Black and Hispanic Americans.
Welcome to Stairway to Healthcare, a blog about achieving health equity through changes in healthcare policy. I conceived of this blog as a way to help myself, and hopefully others, to process the extraordinary amounts of information coming at us every day in the debate over healthcare reform. Then white supremacists marched on Charlottesville, VA. … Continue reading Welcome to My Healthcare Blog. We Need to Talk About Race.
