For the last year I have been employed at Northwestern Human Services. I work as a full-time psychiatric technician serving various groups of people ranging from adolescence to older individuals. Throughout my time being employed at Northwestern Human Services, I have seen the direct effect of mental health facilities lack of service provided to African American communities. I am currently attending Moravian College majoring in English with a Secondary Education certification. I endeavored into this field of work because I believed that it would be beneficial for later career options and would sustain my financial independence throughout college. The work I chose to take part in as a psychiatric technician will also benefit not only my teaching interests but also my law enforcement interests. Being a psychiatric technician has allowed me to grasp the concepts of …show more content…
One instance is the facility that I currently work at. There are two individuals who are being served by this company that is funded by the state, federal government, and insurance companies. These individuals whom I work with are Caucasian however, the problem does not lie within their race. A major concern is the circumstances of these two individuals, who live in a house all by themselves, for the rest of their life, with provided service from a fill staff. Not only do these individuals have an entire house to themselves, but also a new 2016 Ford SUV to be chauffeured in by their staff. These individuals also received a fried full of food, warm shelter, and various paid trips at no expense to their parents. Their parents visit them but rarely provides anything beneficial to their children. The concern is the treatment of the individuals in comparison to the treatment of other individuals that have their diagnosis as well but live in institutionalized
Jewelll, N., & Russell, K. (1992). Current health status of african americans. Journal of community health nursing, 9(3), 161-169.
“Does my agency have any component that may deter vulnerable populations such as women of color and other minority groups from retaining our services?” This issue can also be presented on the micro and mezzo levels because it will address the gender, racial and ethnic dynamics of the staff working at the agency, while gauging the comfort level this particular client would require. In addition, this issue would take into consideration the staff’s attitudes toward minorities and the agency’s reputation within the community. This
The nurse could interact with an African American client by teaching how health care has evolved since this incident in medicine history and how all races in healthcare today are to be treated equally. A second interaction the nurse could have with an African American client is sharing their experience with caring for individuals of various ethnic backgrounds and how they used the nurse’s code of ethics in their practice every day to assure each and every client received the best ethical care.
"African American Communities and Mental Health." Mental Health America. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2014. .
Snowden, Lonnie R. Barriers to Effective Mental Health Services for African Americans. N.p.: n.p., 2001. Print. Mental Health Services Research 4.
Healthcare disparities are when there are inequalities or differences of the conditions of health and the quality of care that is received among specific groups of people such as African Americans, Caucasians, Asians, or Hispanics. Not only does it occur between racial and ethnic groups, health disparities can happen between males and females as well. Minorities have the worst healthcare outcomes, higher death rates, and are more prone to terminal diseases. For African American men and women, some of the most common health disparities are diabetes, cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and HIV infections. Some factors that can contribute to disparities are healthcare access, transportation, specialist referrals, and non-effective communication with patients. There is also much racism that still occurs today, which can be another reason African Americans may be mistreated with their healthcare. “Although both black and white patients tended not to endorse the existence of racism in the medical system, African Americans patients were more likely to perceive racism” (Laveist, Nickerson, Bowie, 2000). Over the years, the health care system has made improvements but some Americans, such as African Americans, are still being treating unequally when wanting the same care they desire as everyone else.
The elimination of disparities in mental health care among ethnic, racial and underprivileged populations, specifically minorities remains a challenge amongst mental health care workers and medical professionals. Many minority areas are more impoverished, rely on government assistance and have a higher incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, chronic diseases, and injuries compare to any other ethnicity. In recent studies there are strategies to help eliminate disparities in mental health care, such as improving health care access, quality, offering diverse mental health workforce, providers, and patient education. These are just several strategies that can help assist in disparities. The goal is to reduce or eliminate racial, ethnic and socioeconomic health inequalities that affect minorities.
No citizen shale ever be ignored no matter their race, state of health, or class. In the US “barriers generally stem from forces within the organizational environment of the health care delivery system or within the broader social system itself” (Barr, 2011, p. 273). This is why health policy scholars need to study health disparities so that equal care can ultimately be reached. Currently some disparities that are obvious in society are unequal dispersion and quality of care between racial groups, genders, and those with low middle class income. The health care system needs to be fixed and in order for that to happen health scholars must study better procedures so that the best possible outcome can be reached for the American
“It’s really clear that the most effective way to turn a nonviolent person into a violent one is to send them to prison,” says Harvard University criminologist James Gilligan. The American prison system takes nonviolent offenders and makes them live side-by-side with hardened killers. The very nature of prison, no matter people view it, produces an environment that is inevitably harmful to its residents.
In the article, Levels of Racism: A Theoretic Framework and a Gardener’s Tale, by Camara Jones explained how racism is present in the current health institutions. Jones begins by talking about the three different levels of racism: institutionalized racism, personally mediated racism, and internalized racism. Institutional racism is defined as differential access to goods, services, and opportunities of society based on someone’s race. It is seen in the quality of education, housing, employment, medical facilities, and the environment. Institutional racism, according to Jones, is seen in the history of the United States when looking at the socioeconomic status of minority groups.
Systems in the Mental Health genre have failed to provide adequate care to people of color. This was so profound that laws and mandates on how people were being treated was created and changed for safety and security reasons. Families are frustrated and distrustful due to prior abuse by the prior abuse.
My first semester in college, I took a Psychology 101 course and immediately knew I wanted to work in this field. I was drawn into different theories and how individual’s minds work. I always believed I was born to help others and guide them to success in life. I desire to help others because of my own personal struggles with mental illness. My unique perspective on mental illness allows me to empathize on a different level with individuals. I desire to give back and support to the community the way it was there for me during my dark times. I was lucky to have known from the start that psychology was my interest. I am excited to continue my education in the counseling field and become a future Clinical Mental Health Counselor.
Communication is always a good way for one to express their thoughts. I interviewed two different people who were of separate races and ethnicities to learn about their experiences in the U.S. healthcare system. The interviews asked questions that centered around their racial and ethnic background and how their identities influenced their privileges or discrimination of or by health care officials. The two people I interviewed were from my physical therapy building. This was a great way to determine race and ethnicity seeing how the physical therapist is Indian and his assistant is Pacific Islander Filipino. Within public health, we see plenty of different races and ethnicities all around us. It is safe to say that an issue that emerged from the interviews was a lack of communication during a health related visit between different races and ethnicities. It became
Concepts we discussed in both my Social Work and African American Studies classes such as white flight, housing discrimination, lack of school funding, and lack of access to adequate health care were reinforced when I began my practicum senior year at a local community mental health organization. The agency served a client population that was over 90% black. At practicum, I applied my skills learned in class such as communication, empathy, motivational interviewing, and strengths based perspective to form a bond with clients and ensure that services the agency delivered were what the clients needed. I combined my Social Work Research course with my practicum and designed a client satisfaction survey that assessed client involvement, satisfaction, and desired changes. These changes were presented to the board to help guide changes in activities and policies for the next fiscal
My passion to become a social worker began when I was pursuing an undergraduate degree.