Introduction
Racial disparities in medical insurance, chronic illnesses, mental well-being, and mortality are severe and ongoing in the United States. These differences are not the consequence of individual or social conduct but rather of years of institutionalized inequality in the American economy and healthcare system. Numerous confirmed instances and fatalities from COVID-19 in the US clearly show its destructive effects. Furthermore, the pandemic particularly hard hits communities of color among those impacted. The COVID-19 crisis’s health disparities draw attention to enduring injustices permeating the healthcare sector and society. By addressing these discrepancies, the country can lessen the uneven effects of the COVID-19 epidemic and keep health disparities from growing in the future. Interventions to stop the development of COVID-19 among minority groups will be discussed in this essay.
Increasing Access to Medical Treatment
Minority populations should be the focus of COVID-19 public health efforts. The government should prioritize improving access to local health clinics and providing the medical staff with sufficient training. In community-focused care, the public healthcare worker aims to improve patient outcomes and medical services for the targeted groups (Lopez et al. 719). Increased funding for safety net hospitals and community medical centers that serve people from low-income, undocumented immigrant, and minority populations in the US would be advantageous. Further reductions in access to healthcare could be avoided by increasing the number of people eligible for Medicaid who just lost employer-based insurance. Hospitals should also prohibit using debt collection tactics against people who have undergone COVID-related medical treatments. By ensuring equal access to healthcare services, community health programs alleviate disparities.
Create Fair Care Delivery Models
Health systems ought to support the formation of interdisciplinary teams that develop awareness and communication strategies that are culturally appropriate to persuade patients to seek the necessary attention for COVID-19 or related problems. To ensure justice in healthcare provision, hospitals must provide information and activities in multiple languages that are open to everyone (Lopez et al. 720). Access barriers may be reduced by using free, approved encrypted channels instead of solely phone conversations and office visits to connect with patients. Systems should target minority groups consistently excluded from obtaining health information and build total equity and quality assessments for disseminating COVID-19 self-care information. Furthermore, to guarantee that minority communities are not systematically under-vaccinated against COVID-19, the involvement of trusted communal spokespeople like entertainment, clergy, and sports celebrities should be encouraged.
Addressing the Social Variables of Health
Social variables significantly influence health outcomes, particularly for the poorest vulnerable communities. To improve these populations’ health, treatments must consider variables like education, income, and habitat. To fulfill these requirements, healthcare systems should contemplate evaluating patients for basic needs and linking them to available community facilities. It is commonly known that access to safe neighborhoods and wholesome foods is restricted by poverty and that higher education levels positively impact health. By the end of the COVID-19 epidemic, the 3-month waiting period for people without families to acquire Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme assistance should be eliminated (Lopez et al. 720). Numerous people would be able to become self-sufficient if unemployment subsidies were extended.
Conclusion
In conclusion, socioeconomic and racial inequalities in clinical results are not unusual in the US. Many American Indian, Hispanic, and Black people residing in the US now have much worse social conditions due to COVID-19, which has highlighted how vital these discrepancies are. The COVID-19 pandemic offers doctors, healthcare systems, researchers, and policymakers a chance to solve socioeconomic injustices and thereby enhance everyone’s health and well-being in the US for current and upcoming illnesses. The inherent assets of each distinct group should be the foundation of societal initiatives to enhance situations for minority communities. Implementing structural reforms that acknowledge and tackle discrimination as a public health concern is necessary for the interventions to prosper.
Work Cited
Lopez, Leo, et al. “Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Related to COVID-19.” JAMA, vol. 325, no. 8, 719-720.