Health and the community

In the community healthcare setting, the primary doctor should be your safety net when push comes to shove. Yet for 30 million uninsured Americans, that safety net is nonexisting. Even so, nearly half of those people are uninsured people of color.

According to the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), there is a considerable gap in mortality rates between older White and Black adults. The divide has significantly increased in suburban regions as there is less access to affordable care options. In further investigations, the National Institute of Mental Health findings suggest that “about 1 in 5 adults-51.5 million people-lived with a mental illness in 2019.” Amid concerns for the outcome of uninsured individuals, there is help available.

In a recent article by the Independence Blue Cross, insights suggest that while Philadelphia is home to many firsts in the field of medicine, it has some of the state’s worst health outcomes. The state of health in the brotherly city has the lowest-ranked health outcomes and factors. Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate, staggering over 1 million. While the social determinants range from financial situations to access to healthy food and experiences of discrimination, Philadelphians below poverty face the consequences of health inequity daily.

In a partnership with The Philadelphia Tribune, the educational campaign “Our Community, Our Health” is in collaboration with the Urban Affairs Coalition and the Mother Bethel Church on the Ending Racism Partnership. It is with the utmost importance that local organizations partner up to fight racial inequity, as all human beings deserve proper and adequate access to treatment.