TJC Story Blog
Apr 2021
Anonymous
A 35 year old woman shared the following with TJC:
“As a black woman, when in specialty care or the ER my pain is never taken seriously. My concerns are dismissed and not investigated. I’ve even been treated rudely when speaking up for myself, confirming all the symptoms for the condition/concern presented.”
She shared that she knows family/friends who have also felt discriminated against based on their race or ethnicity while accessing health care. She does not think there are enough healthcare providers accepting her type of insurance in her community and added, “My insurance is provided by my employer. There are not enough non-discriminatory, race sensitive educated and trained health care professionals in general.” She also has experienced health problems caused by environmental toxins in or near her home, including: “Severe allergy, sinus, ear infection/hearing damage, mild asthma due to constant construction, landfill near by home.”
She said, “The staggering disparity of black women having health issues during pregnancy and dying during childbirth as opposed to any other race is beyond negligent!!!! The disrespect/mistreatment of minority health care professionals by physicians or NPs in my presence.”
*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.
