Looking to close health care gap
By Sue Wang
Oct. 22, 2007 12:05 a.m.
When it comes to health care, many Filipinos live by the philosophy of bahala na, literally translated to mean “leave it to God.”
This resigned outlook, which is common among other minority groups as well, was what first got fourth-year neuroscience student Antonio Moya interested in issues of minority health care.
“They think, “˜If it happens to me, then it happens to me,'” Moya said. “The passive perspective to their own health was troubling.”
The fifth annual Minority Health Conference, titled “Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers,” was held at the Tom Bradley International Hall on Saturday to address issues of transforming minority health care through education, clinical practice and policy.
The conference featured speakers ranging from doctors and dentists to public health workers and lawyers who addressed topics relating to health disparities in medicine.
While the overall health of the American population has improved in recent years, not all Americans have had an equal share in the advancements. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 33 percent of Hispanics, 27 percent of Asians and 21 percent of blacks lacked a usual source of health care in comparison to only 15 percent of whites.
The importance of health care for minority groups stems from the problem of having one segment of the population not receiving adequate health care, which leads to increased morbidity and expenses, said Gerald Levey, the dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine.
“It’s a disaster to society to have population groups that are underserved,” he said.
One of the words that came up often throughout the conference was “insurance,” an area many speakers believed needed change.
In the United States, 46 million people are uninsured, many of whom are minorities, Levey said.
Many students expressed their belief in the unfairness of the disparity in health care.
“It was shocking to learn how many people in America don’t have medical insurance. If we are the wealthiest country in the world and we have the resources, why are we not helping?” Moya said.
Melanie Kappadakunnel, a third-year psychobiology student, said she has always been surrounded by minorities and feels it is not fair that so many people do not have access to basic medical care.
“(Health care) shouldn’t be a privilege ““ it’s a right,” Kappadakunnel said.
Though the solution to problems with health care and insurance may seem like a barrier that would require much time and political action to surmount, solutions can come from students themselves.
Much attention has been placed on diversity and education on the issues of minority health so that they can, in turn, serve the underserved, Levey said.
PRIME, the Program in Medical Education, is one of the steps UCLA has taken towards increasing awareness of minority issues and will be in place fall 2008. It is a five-year medical school program, rather than the normal four-year medical school track, with an additional year’s worth of classes aimed at issues of health disparities and quality health care.
While it is important to train all people in the issues, minority students and doctors can be of great value because having minorities in the medical field can mean a greater response from minority patients, said Anmol Mahal, president of the California Medical Association.
“A vast majority of minority patients would prefer to get health care from people who understand their language and culture,” Mahal said.
The importance of that connection is something Kappadakunnel has seen in her volunteer experiences at UCLA.
“(The doctor-patient) relationship is one of the most important relationships. You can’t have a disconnect, and there should be a big sense of trust,” she said.
As a result of the increased awareness of issues with minority health care in recent years, a greater interest in the area has been sparked at UCLA.
“It is very encouraging to me to come to UCLA and see so many budding minority physicians,” Mahal said.
Though insurance and health care reform are the underlying issues behind minority health care, it is ultimately the people who are able to enact change, and they should be encouraged to pursue these changes, Mahal said.
“People act as the catalysts to create a difference in society,” he added. “I’m very optimistic.”
Motivating people to bring about change is exactly what the conference this weekend did, Moya said.
“It was so inspiring to see so many people rallying for (equal medical care),” he said. “What was good was the sense of urgency that the speakers had to change health care in America. … There is so much I need to learn to bridge the gap in who receives care.”
