There are several important battles being fought right now in this country.

One is the battle for social justice, which has grown to new levels since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota. Protests in the streets of Detroit and across the United States by Black Lives Matter and other groups have continued since Memorial Day. The overarching goals are systemic change in how minorities are treated in this country by police as well as preventing racially motivated acts of violence.

The other ongoing battle is against COVID-19, the deadly virus which continues to impact all of us and has tragically claimed thousands of lives, with little to no sign of slowing down.

Historically, health care has not been seen as a social justice issue. What this virus has exposed to the world, however, is that access to health care is an essential part of the equality struggle. Whether it’s the high number of uninsured minorities or how black and brown patients are oftentimes misunderstood and inadequately treated by their providers, it’s become abundantly clear that everything is not equal in health care.

The number of COVID deaths, when broken down by race, has exposed how serious this issue has become. CDC coronavirus data shows that the death rates among Black and Hispanic/Latino people are much higher than for white people, in all age categories. These disparities are especially marked in younger age groups. For example, among those ages 45-54, Black and Hispanic/Latino death rates are at least six times higher than their white counterparts.

Putting aside bias
To see the worst-case scenario, just look at the COVID situation. Generations of African-American and Hispanic patients have been underserved by their providers, in part due to lack of cultural competency by the provider and lack of mutual understanding between patient and provider, and the shocking minority death rates from COVID are the result.

This is a wake-up call to the medical community, and the minority communities where they serve. It reminds us that we must all look past ourselves and become more understanding of each other. Providers must put aside biases and treat all patients the same.

This need to check our biases at the door was referenced in Gov. Whitmer’s recent order for “implicit bias” training. This type of training is necessary, as medical professionals may not realize they are showing bias, but those biases do exist and can lead to very real negative outcomes for minority patients.
To put implicit bias education in perspective, I would call it cultural sensitivity training, and this training must be fully inclusive and address bias against racial minorities, people from foreign countries, LGBTQ patients and even lower-income people of all races.

Provider-patient trust

Long before the Coronavirus hit, our team at Central City Integrated Health has been working for decades with lower-income and minority populations in Detroit to make sure they have access to the support and resources they need to survive, including comprehensive health care. One of the biggest impediments to caring for this patient-base is the general mistrust minorities have for the health care system. 

Our success at building stronger provider-patient relationships includes maintaining a diverse health care team, as patients want to see physicians, nurses and other medical staff who are reflective of their communities. It’s also very important to work closely with local community groups or organizations such as area churches, nonprofit organizations and other trusted referral sources.

Failure to do so will mean that African-American and Hispanic patients will be less likely trust their providers and pursue consistent medical care, which can only lead to complicated health issues and untreated medical conditions.

It’s important to recognize that medical professionals oftentimes care for their patients with some unconscious or conscious bias, which may impact the overall success of their treatment plans. It’s also critical for universities and medical schools to educate medical students to look past their own biases, learn more and better understand the communities they serve.
At CCH, we have consistently trained our medical staff on the community and its health care needs, so they can better relate to consumers. The key is to make sure that medical staff approaches each patient with as much understanding of their culture and experiences as possible. Both sides of the meeting, provider and patient, must put aside any perceptions and biases, and communicate honestly to achieve maximum success in treatment and long-term health.

A provider’s bias can impact the value of the medical experience. Any misunderstanding or miscommunication can lead to a lifetime of health problems, which is why this understanding is so critical. And on the patient’s side, they must also recognize that just because the provider is from another culture and looks different, it doesn’t mean they won’t offer the best care. Mutual trust, respect and openness are essential.

Better health care equals better lives for minorities, which is why health care is such an essential component of the social justice movement. At CCH, we remain focused on addressing these health disparities, but change needs to happen on a broader scale in the medical community.

We can do better, and our community is depending on it.