Whether it’s a maternal health crisis disproportionate impact Black women may be in sharp decline Life expectancy and higher uninsured rates Health inequalities among Hispanics, American Indians, and Alaska Natives are high in the United States, and have been particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic
What’s the best way to solve them?
Speaking to Fortune, Vanessa Broadhurst, executive vice president of global corporate affairs at Johnson & Johnson, said providing culturally competent care is about respecting the diversity of the patient population and Nursing of cultural factors that influence health is a good place to start. Powerful Women Summit in Laguna Niguel, California on Tuesday.
“When we look at data on women of color, maternal mortality and mortality, we know that women who receive culturally qualified care and care from providers who look like them have a 50 percent lower mortality rate,” she explained.
Paula Schneider, CEO of the breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen Foundation, said the foundation has also found success through efforts to better serve underrepresented patient groups.Her organization grew Free training for Black patient navigators This can support the healthcare experiences of Black breast cancer patients, particularly in dealing with the racism and bias they encounter. Schneider noted that Komen has since trained more than 2,000 Black patient navigators, each helping about 150 patients a year.
“It’s really become very large and influential,” Schneider said of the program. “Not only does it help the patients, but it also helps the women who are being trained” who now have training credentials that can help them find better jobs.
Kellie McElhaney, professor at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and founding director of the Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership, emphasized the importance of cultivating empathy in health care workers and noted the tremendous opportunity to do so Do. She cites research by empathy scientists at the University of Berkeley, who found that white and black patients were treated differently: For white patients, white doctors tended to go to the patient’s bedside and touch them, while for black patients, they would stand Be by the door and touch them. McElhaney said there would be no sense of physical proximity.
“Touch can promote a feeling of healing,” she adds.
In addition to developing empathy, Broadhurst said doctors need to understand unconscious biases in the health system and develop the skills to identify and overcome them. It’s also important, she noted, “to make sure we continue to educate and prepare Black and brown health care workers to treat patients.”
Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Organization, added that supporting historically black and Latino medical schools is key to building the nation’s capacity to provide culturally competent care.
Asahi Pompey, global head of corporate engagement at Goldman Sachs and president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, noted that patients also have opportunities to help address inequities in the system. Goldman Sachs has been investing in organizations with apps where patients can share information about where they received care and how hospitals treated them during childbirth or other patient experiences. Pompeo explained that this benefits other women, but also helps the hospital and its board of directors understand what is happening locally and make improvements.
“There’s so much power around patients, but there’s not the tools and the networks to really address this issue and bring it together in a way that’s really impactful,” Pompeo said.
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