LETTER

Letter

Letter

The Manager,

National Healthcare Access Program,

Washington D.C.

Subject: Healthcare Access for Minority People

This letter intends to divert the attention of public health officials towards the long standing issue of healthcare access to racial minorities. I have been working as Healthcare Manager in a public health organization for the last five years. This organization, called, Black Smith Hospice and Healthcare Center provides healthcare facilities to segregated minority population in less-developed areas of Chicago. Being an experienced professional, I know the hardships and difficulties patients and doctors face during interaction (Braveman, 2006).

Health care provisions guarantee the well being of any society. They are the provisions that, if not availed, can lead to dire consequences of health related issues on the individual as well as on the society on macroeconomic levels. In those societies where health care facilities are conveniently accessible to the ordinary men, prosperity and harmony reigns supreme.

The National Report on Disparities in Health Care 2009 notes that although some indicators have improved, minority groups, including the quote Hispanics, blacks, Asians and Native Americans are less likely to have access to preventive treatment and health insurance than whites (Claudia, 2007).

African Americans and other ethnic minorities have always faced difficulty in accessing quality healthcare. The practice continues to this day. There are a host of factors responsible for the poor health status prevailing in racial communities, living in America. Lack of income, life expectancy rate, and socio-economic distress has taken a toll on these communities and their sufferings continue to this day (Claudia, 2007).

When people are suffering a chronic disease since a long time, especially cancer; one of their prime concerns in life is their life expectancy. Their concern is to ensure every now and then, that they are going to live. Understandings of the relation between the body and spirit enables a nurse provide support and health care to the patients in a more effective way. In the end it is this caring and support given by the nurse that is going to be valued. For quality health care and support to the patient, she should be steadfast in her actions and persevere should be her motto in life. There comes certain situations where the patient stresses out and becomes difficult to handle; in such situations her attitude towards health care provision, particularly her commitment and dedication towards the patient and his/her illness recovery goes really a long way.

Last May, the United States Health Department published a report, highlighting the fact that the vast majority of the patients, who have no or poor access to healthcare are black people - representing 12.8 percent of the total U.S. population - constitutes 54 percent of those with inadequate access to healthcare facilities (Smedley, 2002).

The main victims of these biased procedures in healthcare are obviously young Latinos and blacks. In April 2000, using national data, a comprehensive study highlights the deep racial disparities at all levels of healthcare provision for young minority people. African-Americans under age 18 comprise 15% of this age group nationally, but they ...