My Take: Eliminating health care disparities will require systemic change.

November 16, 2021September 23, 2021 by Barbara Lash

My Take: “Eliminating health care disparities will require systemic change.”

Vanessa Greene, CEO, Grand Rapids African American Health Institute

African Americans and other diverse populations in West Michigan, and across the U.S., have been fighting for their rights and equality and have seen progress.

A real discussion of history and its long-lasting negative impact on certain diverse groups is happening, with more attention being paid to how we can address those issues. Legislators also addressed past discrimination by recognizing racism as a national health crisis.

While this is an opportunity to celebrate, we still have a long way to go, and there remains a need to address inequities that are directly affecting the health and wellbeing of our communities.

At the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute (GRAAHI), one of the biggest obstacles we address every day is the ongoing battle with disparities in the quality of health care for African Americans and other diverse groups in Michigan.

The arrival of COVID-19 further amplified our understanding of the racial inequities embedded in Michigan’s health care system — with African Americans hit harder by the disease due in part to a higher level of underlying health conditions — and how much quality of care can differ based solely on a patient’s race. Yet, research conducted on behalf of Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) shows that this is not just a problem in Michigan. A majority (56 percent) of Americans agree that COVID-19 has exposed racial disparities in our system.

Here are some sobering stats:

In 2017, 10.6 percent of African Americans were uninsured, compared with 5.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites. 16.1 percent of Hispanics were uninsured.

12.1 percent of African Americans under the age of 65 reported having no health insurance coverage. The number was 20.1 percent for Hispanics.

13.8 percent of African Americans reported having fair or poor health, compared with 8.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites

African Americans have the highest mortality rate for cancer, compared with any other racial and ethnic group.

In Kent County, African American infants are 2.5 times more likely to die before the age of 1 than white infants, and 2.2 times more likely to be born with low birth weights.Your stories live here.Fuel your hometown passion and plug into the stories that define it.Create Account

Our goal must be to remove these racial disparities in health care, but it will be a long battle and require systemic changes beyond health care. At GRAAHI, we are on the front lines battling these disparities.

The disconnect between minorities and health care is reflected in the breakdown of health care workers. Less than 20 percent of registered nurses identify as minorities, despite minorities comprising 40 percent of U.S. population. In 2018, 13 percent of the U.S. population was Black, but only 5.4 percent of physicians were African American.

One way to address health care disparities is to encourage more minorities to work in the health care field. Lack of diverse representation is one reason many people of color are hesitant to seek the proper care, preventative or otherwise, so the role of African-American health care providers is critical in building trust and improving health outcomes in communities of color.

To support increasing health care provider diversity, GRAAHI is collaborating with colleges and universities across West Michigan, with support from Kellogg, to help create a pipeline of students of all ethnic backgrounds from high school to careers in health care.

Increasing awareness of the social determinants and key issues affecting health for diverse populations is also essential. Advocacy, education, and research will be crucial to effectively improving health outcomes.

Our end goal is to create a culture where we have moved beyond the need to address inequities and can guarantee that everyone can access a healthy lifestyle, preventative care, and understand how to navigate the health care system.

We can create real, impactful, and meaningful health care change for diverse populations by eliminating disparities, and ensuring that all West Michigan residents will receive affordable quality care without race being a determinant.

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The links between racism, health inequities, COVID-19 and the civil unrest across the world

November 16, 2021June 26, 2020 by Barbara Lash

By Andrae Ivy -June 26, 2020

The recent deaths of Black people in the presence of police officers reilluminated racism across the world. Protests, riots and civil unrest blanket streets everywhere, as people of all backgrounds show their frustrations and grief in myriad ways. These images and efforts are reminiscent of the Civil Rights Movement, when Black people fought tediously against racism and systematic oppression.

Nearly 60 years later, America is once again battling its inherent race problems, as the country remains divided. Now the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others are forcing America to revisit its historical pandemics of injustice.

The frustrations showcased by thousands (if not millions) of Americans are not based on one death or factor. Black deaths from police brutality have been examined through history, but Black men are still 2½ times more likely to be killed by police than white men. Black people, as a whole, are 2-4 times more likely to have force used against them than white people. From a Kent County lens, Black people are three times more likely to live in poverty (Blacks-27%, whites-9%) and 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed than white people (Blacks-12.2%, whites-3.6%). In addition, Black people have lower rates of health care coverage (whites-94.5%, Blacks-88.2%) and are twice as likely than white people to report not being able to see a doctor due to costs (Blacks-20.2%, whites-9.2%) in Kent County.

Health inequities plague Black lives more than any other group in Kent County

According to the Health Equity Index, Black people are 1.6 times more likely than white people to die from heart disease (Blacks-269.2, whites-164.8 per 100,000) and 1.7 times more likely to die from stroke (Blacks-55.7, whites-31.9 per 100,000) in Kent County.
Black children are more than twice as likely than white children to have elevated blood lead levels (Blacks-10.9%, whites-5.1%) in Kent County.
Black people are 6.6 times more likely to test positive for HIV compared to white people (Blacks-695, whites-106 per 100,000) in Kent County.

These sad truths are prevalent for Black people, as our current health care, government and political systems need comprehensive reformations. These changes must be systemic and structural, providing Black people with sufficient rights, policies, resources and opportunities to combat these devastating realities.

Reporting racism and health inequities is important, but correcting the systems and environments that drive these conditions is more essential. This issue also is evident with COVID-19 that continues to afflict this country and world. Thus, the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute (GRAAHI) will continue promoting systemic changes in health and academia to increase health equity and justice for Black people.

COVID-19, standing for coronavirus disease 2019, continues to wreck millions of lives across the world

As of June 21, over 2.4 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in America, including over 119,600 deaths.
In Michigan, 61,230 cases have been confirmed along with 5,846 deaths.
Kent County has the fourth-highest count among all Michigan counties with 4,210 confirmed cases, including 121 deaths.
By race/ethnicity, Black people currently represent 19% of confirmed cases in Kent County compared to 22% for white people, 39% for Hispanics, 6% for Asians, and 14% for unknown ethnicity individuals.

These findings indicate that Black people and Hispanics are overrepresented among confirmed COVID-19 cases, since each group only represents 10-12% of the Kent County population. These findings align with notices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that suggest that Black people may be more susceptible to contracting and dying from COVID-19 than other racial/ethnic groups.

This may be the case, since people with underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Black people experience the worst health disparities in this country for many health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and HIV.

It should be known that these disparities are greatly influenced by institutional racism and economic/social factors upon the Black population. Living in more densely populated areas and further away from medical facilities and grocery stores may also influence this higher risk for Black people. However, additional studies are being conducted to investigate this link.

Higher rates of poverty, unemployment and poor housing may also influence Black people’s exposure to COVID-19, along with their frontline presence in many essential industries. Thus, it is imperative for public health agencies and the community to gauge this serious matter and take precautions moving forward. For more information and best practices regarding COVID-19, click here.

In closing, our American system continues to fuel racism, racially motivated deaths and health inequities against Black people, which may increase their risk of contracting COVID-19.

However, people across the world are demanding justice for Black people and a renewal of the American system. Many organizations are changing their policies, logos and structure, while others are donating resources to Black businesses, organizations and universities. We at GRAAHI hope you join this movement by using your talents, resources and/or energy to correct the injustices of this country. If interested, we at GRAAHI encourage the following acts:

Be honest about racism and racial injustices and how they deteriorate this country
Advocate for policies that address injustices and ensure those policies are enforced
Identify rogue, racist groups in your community and report them to authorities
Hold law enforcement groups/individuals accountable for their misconduct
Demand your elected officials investigate the presence of racist/extremist groups in law enforcement and/or government agencies
Use disparity data to generate resources for Black people, not just tell the story
Donate to Black businesses/organizations and help fight against racism
Examine your employer’s practices for racism or bias and propose needed changes
Hold elected officials accountable at all levels

Change is here, and we are not turning back now. GRAAHI is dedicated to leading that change to replace the system of racism with a system of justice.

If you would like to help GRAAHI in these efforts, we can be reached at info@graahi.org. We at GRAAHI look forward to our continued efforts with the Grand Rapids community, helping to improve health equity and justice for Black people for a more hopeful and prosperous future.

Meet Raven. Our new advocacy champion.

November 9, 2018November 4, 2018 by Ashlie Jones

GRAAHI welcomes Raven Odom as the newest team member and looks forward to her game-changing work in advocating for community.

“As the Health Advocacy Fellow I will work with the community to understand the strengths and needs of community members as well as policy issues impacting the health of African Americans. Together, we will select advocacy priorities and I will help develop an advocacy platform focused on eliminating health inequities impacting African Americans in the Grand Rapids area.

I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the community and build upon the inspirational work already taking place in the Grand Rapids area. Thank you to my fellow GRAAHI team members and various community members for their warm welcome and support. I look forward to collaborating and fostering more connections.

Please know that I welcome your feedback and suggestions as we work to create systemic change and I hope you will join us in advocating for health equity.”