TJC Story Blog
Apr 2021
Anonymous
A 62 year old African American woman shared with TJC that she and family/friends have felt discriminated against based on their race or ethnicity while accessing healthcare. She does not think enough healthcare providers in their community accept their type of insurance. She has had health problems because of environmental toxins in or near her home. She said, “The Bordeaux landfill is near my home. It is releasing polluted air consisting of a foul odor that also penetrates through car windows on nearby Briley Parkway. This polluted air is released on a recurring basis throughout the year which is horrible!”
She would like to tell her politicians,“There was a study conducted several years ago as to why Black people might have developed high blood pressure in large numbers and it was concluded in part, that some of the health disparities such as obesity and high blood pressure could most likely be attributed to the continued prevalence of racism, police brutality, unfair voting practices towards this group, and poor housing conditions among other disparities. When violence is witnessed by the young and the elderly in the Black community, it has taken it’s toll on us mentally and physically over time. For example, when White people experienced trauma of any kind, e.g., from the recent school shootings around the country, the first thing that is mentioned is the counseling that they have received or will receive to help them cope. No such provisions are ever mentioned for Blacks in similar scenarios.”
*The Black Health Matters initiative seeks to frame health as a racial justice issue and to educate about the long-standing systemic barriers to care and other social determinants of health as well as bias in the healthcare industry that create worse health outcomes for Black people. If you have ever experienced health disparities or health inequities, please fill out this brief survey. TJC wants to share your experiences to educate people about these issues and get them to take action to fix the problems in our healthcare system.
