Prognosis Grim for Poor
Minorities
By Tom Maccabe (reprinted
with permission from The Medical Herald, Vol.13, No.2, March 2001)
(Continued
from previous page) Each group of immigrants brings with it a new set of health
problems. There are vast
difference between the illness affecting African immigrants and
African-Americans, between Dominicans and Columbians and between Mexicans and
Puerto Ricans.
“ I think a disproportionate number of African-Americans
due to a variety of reasons are medically underserved,” Hood said.
“As a group, African-Americans have chronically suffered the worst
health status and outcomes of any ethnic group in this country.
“ The African-Americans lead in the leading causes of
death, including cardiovascular disease, lung disease, HIV and accidental
injuries.”
Said Wierner: “ We have huge number of uninsured in the
inner cities, and so anything that would expand Medicaid coverage or the
Children’s Health Insurance program would certainly be welcome, especially
anything that would deal with parents as well as children.
“The second thing would be to deal with the handgun issue.
It’s a significant source of morbidity and mortality in the inner
cities. I certainly don’t
expect anything coming out of the Bush administration that would restrict the
use of guns. I think there would
probably be majorities in the Senate and the House to do that, but there are
probably not enough votes to override a veto.”
Wiener said drugs are another significant health issue in the
inner cities.
“Clearly, “ he said, “additional treatment programs are
needed.”
He said malnutrition remains an inner city problem.
“I think expansion of the food stamp program would help to
address that, “ he added, “ but we‘ve seen declines in that enrollment
due to welfare reform , and I certainly don’t see the largely Republican
Congress expanding eligibility for food stamps.
Hood noted that there are parameters that the World Health
Organization uses in monitoring the health status of a country or a
population.
“ They look at infant mortality, life expectancy and
maternal mortality rates, “ he said. “
When we compare the African-American health statistics, we’re always at the
bottom when compared with other ethnic groups in this country.
“ As a matter of fact, our African-American infant
mortality is about twice as high as the infant mortality rate is in Cuba, and
Cuba is about 70 percent folks of African descent.”
Asked which government agencies Secretary of Health and Human
Services Tommy Thompson should focus on from the standpoint of improving
African-American health, Hood said: “ I honestly must say just about all the
health agencies. I hope he and
the Bush administration continue strong support for the achievement of the
goals of Healthy People 2010-put into motion by Surgeon General Satcher.
One goal is to eliminate all ethnic health disparities by the year
2010.
“I honestly think that goal is realistic if appropriate
attention and resources are given. I
really do. I think that this
country has the technology and the ability to put folks on the moon or Mars,
and we can certainly spend enough money on health care to improve the care of
those that are least. Its’ just
a matter of reallocating your resources.”
Hood said that NMA has serious concerns about managed care
and how it approaches African- Americans.
“African-Americans, “ he said, “ are going into these
managed care settings, and it’s a new setting without a definite track
record about how well this population will do (To
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