Brief Bio
I am Quinton Jenkins, a Senior Biology major with a minor in Public Health at Morehouse. I have been apart of the Bonner program since beginning my matriculation at Morehouse. My career aspirations are to attend medical school and enter an Emergency medicine speciality. I plan to use my advanced training to better understand how health disparities disproportionally affect minority communities and combine it with my experience, skill set, and professional education to close the gaps in health disparities between citizens in the United States and abroad.
Question
What are some health disparities that you are concerned about and what can you do to close the gap?
14 comments:
Hi, my name is Jahi Flowers and I want to start off by saying that there are a lot of health disparities in the black community whether that be cancer presentation,vaccinations, or ( the one that hits closest to home) mental health in the black community, This is evident even in my life I see young black me like myself who deal with issues like depression, anxiety, etc. but many of them aren’t encouraged to get help or don’t necessarily have the funds to afford a counselor or therapist to help them sort through the trauma in their lives. And I for one have seen how hard life can become if you don’t have the resources to resolve past trauma in one’s life. With that being said, there are 2 things I know that I can do to help bridge this gap between this specfic health disparity is by pursuing a career in policy and psychology so that I can make mental health a priority in OUR community and the country as a whole. But they I way I can bridge the gap today is by being an advocate for mental health awareness in the black community and encouraging people who may not know where to turn to not be afraid to get professional help despite what society may say about making OUR mental health ( especially the mental health young black men) a priority.
My name is Cedric Beal and in today's world, especially in the black community, one of the biggest health disparities that I see is poverty. I cannot say that poverty stands alone as a health disparity. From the books that I have read and the things that I have seen in this world it seems as if slavery was the foundation and poverty was the cornerstone from which all other problems in the black community was built off of. I have seen classmates wear size 13 shoes that belonged to their older brother when they should have been wearing a size 10. I have seen them wear big and tall Polo shirts when they are 5'6, I have even paid for the homecoming dance ticket of a team mate because his mother had bills to pay. I see all of this poverty and it truly breaks my heart. But because I have been exposed to it I have felt a need to change it. Since exposure provokes action, I believe in order to change the direction of multiple disparities, not only I but we can go into these communities and show young brothers and sisters leadership and unity. When I went to Essence Festival I saw Steve Harvey on stage in the flesh and to me at that time in my life it was confirmation that I could also be great if I was willing to work for it. In the same manner we could show these kids that they don't have to be the stereotypical product of their environment, they can change the wave and make being a product of their environment something positive. Exposure provokes action. It starts with us being sincere leaders. I look forward to us being the change that we want to see accomplished.
My name is Lunden Stubbs and some health disparities specifically in black communities are mental health, diabetes, and heart disease. These disparities stem from low access to high-quality education about these health problems. Bridging the gap between these issues and the people that are being impacted directly would consist of giving an opportunity for this population of people to gain knowledge on how to prevent these issues from occurring. For example, mental awareness workshops and fairs to give resources to people that may have anxiety or depression disorders. For those that are dealing with the risk or trying to prevent diabetes or heart disease, give easier access to nutritious foods that are helpful to this cause whether that be through local neighborhood street food markets or having giveaways to those that are in need. These small actions could create such a big impact that the cycle of disparities within specific communities could become obsolete. Bridging the gap between my own personal health disparity concerns could cause a chain reaction amongst my peers and other leadership groups to create change in spaces that they deem in need of it.
Hello I am Elmer Ellis, a Freshman Cinema Television Emerging Media Studies (CTEMS) major at Morehouse. Health Disparities can affect all types of ethnicity and genders but one health disparities that I have the biggest concerned about is that of the lack of healthcare facilities in poverty-stricken areas especially in my hometown of Washington DC. The lack of these facilities is concerning because when needing some type of care people would have to travel far from their homes just to go to a hospital or doctor’s office. It is outrages that families in these types of area barely have the care they need. Too close the gap of limited health facilities in poverty-stricken areas there needs to be money invested into these areas so that people in these areas are able to get the support they need. Also, as a CTEMS major documenting these problems with film can show awareness of this problem and persuade some that a change needs to come.
Hi my name is Keith Brown Jr. A major health disparity that affects low income communities are the range of affordable yet efficient healthcare providers. Many people of color have to choose between taking care of their health or saving their money. Never should a person have to decide whether their money is more important than their health. These disparities are caused by lack of funding to these communities, lack of affordable healthcare providers willing to invest, and the blatant lack of care from elected officials. To conquer this disparity, in my own neighborhood there is a senior dialysis center open 24 hours. This is major because our seniors for the most part are left out of this conversation because of their age and limited ability. The center has a bus that transports seniors who have no transportation to their appointments. The dialysis center in a way represents the heartbeat of the community because it keeps the well being of the community in mind. One way I believe this disparity could be solved is by creating makeshift clinics in schools and workplaces with professional medical personnel. These clinics would be able to reach the underserved who may not have the funds or means to see a medical professional. By locating them in schools and workplaces, it creates a sense of locality and affordability.
Throughout my life, I’ve witnessed the miseducation of mental health and the inadequacy in coverage by health insurance providers. As it pertains to mental health, I’m sure my story is similar to many others in the black community. My struggles were written off as needing more time in church, and the idea of seeking professional help was one only for “crazy” people. We must do better in educating our community about the seriousness of mental health. I believe the best way to do this is to reach them where they are, ministry. I know that if the church provides insight into the benefits of mental health support there will be more openness in the discussions we have about this issue.
The costs of health care affected my own life by causing my mother to spend all of her savings on medical expenses after my grandmother suffered a stroke. My grandmother’s health insurance covered so little that we were forced to take out loans to keep my grandmother in care as close to adequate as we could get. We have to speak up about the fact that affordable care is often subpar and the correct care that should be given to all people is often too expensive for even middle-class Americans.
Until these things happen I know that I have to use my passions to create the change I’d like to see. I want to create films that are transparent and expose these issue in order to start the dialogue needed to shift the health disparities that plague our community.
- Chase Stokes (CTEMS Major)
There is good and bad in all types of communities, I will say that I am biased towards my own community, but I can still see the flaws in it. In regards to health disparities, the diseases and health issues that are common amongst certain ethnic groups is a problem which may be caused by a lack of health facilities in these communities. However, what really concerns me is violence, violence is harmful and can be considered a disparity because other lives can be at risk. I learned in Human Geography that certain business are placed in areas that would help them prosper the most, and it was shocking to hear that people work jobs outside of their community(in the factory/industry sector) and live in low/ middle-class residency. Now, violence is present everywhere but it is hard to believe that the rate of crimes committed in a high-class residential is higher than low-middle class residential. Violence is a disparity when it is inflicted on others and when there is a crime that is most common in minority communities. In my community, crimes that are most common is GTA or B&E(a common theme of stealing). I feel like nobody would commit those crimes if they were not placed in a position that forced their hand, and by that I mean certain people are living in poverty, and in order to get what you want one must conduct the American Dream illegally. Hurting others to take what they worked hard for is not cool with me, and I feel like by adding more businesses in minorities would only help a little bit. Seminars or community meetings should be held to discuss the opportunities that are available to minorities. We must strive together. Anyone who is not aware of the opportunities is not being told about them; as a collective, we are responsible for ourselves and other minorities, no one should be left unaware of opportunities that will help them.
Hello,
My name is Gregory Bell and I am a incoming Business Finance Major at Morehouse College.
Within the past two years, I have completed medical research on Sickle Cell Disease at Emory University. One factor, that determines whether a particular disease is researched, is funding through private and government contributions. The discrepancies in funding dollars is inequitable between diseases that primarily affect minorities in comparison to diseases that primarily affect majority populations. Sickle Cell Disease has been grossly underfunded up until recently. Since this funding surge, great breakthroughs have accorded. I would like to help change the way funding dollars are given out. There are many diseases that cause great pain to the patients and many families don't have the capability to be patrons of the research due to their socio-economic status. I would like to set up a minority research fund to help give doctors, lab technicians, and private investigators the funding they need in order to push forward innovations in these fields. I would never say that one disease deserves more attention than another, but capable researchers should not be handicapped or forced to research a disease based on the unfair distribution of research dollars.
Recently I spoke with a man named Tony Iton, he is the proud recipient of both his medical doctorate and his juris doctorate. He currently works for the California Endowment which is a group that is tasked with donating money to non-profits in California who have demonstrated their ability to enact change in their community. As we discussed his journey to his current position he stated that he originally went to medical school in order to make the world healthier. After graduating and becoming a doctor he realized that the change he wanted to make could not be made from the operating room. He then decided to go back to school in order to become a lawyer so that he could understand the laws that put low-income and unhealthy communities into the deleterious and degenerative situations they currently found themselves in. I met Tony Iton while working with a non-profit group called TOLA where we have been attempting to pass a local soda tax. The money raised by this tax would then go back into the community in the form of health education and health prevention programs in order to impede the rabid growth of the number of diabetes patients in our area. My entire summer thus far has been in an effort to fight a health disparity I witnessed in my community through legislative means. I have been working on this project for almost a year, we started by knocking on doors and showing up in parks and communities asking if anyone knew somebody with diabetes, we had an overwhelming number of people say yes and that they drank sugar-sweetened beverages like soda on a regular basis. This lead us to focus our efforts on a soda tax similar to the ones that have been passed in Berkeley and San Francisco; however large soda corporations had the idea to make it illegal to pass soda taxes in all of California as a result. What they did not anticipate is how inspiring the presence of 25 teenagers from the city o Stockton would be to others in the fight against diabetes and Big Soda. Even though the Bill banning all local soda taxes was passed 60 to 1 soon after the American Dentist Association proposed a statewide soda tax for 2020 that circumvents the law that originally prevented us from passing our local soda tax. I am still doing everything I can to fight the local diabetes epidemic that my county is facing through education and awareness, and I hope that this fight continues even after I leave the state nd possibly even bring the fight to a new battleground.
Nicholas Arosemena
My name is Amari Kendall and I'm a incoming Business Marketing major at Morehouse, some health disparities in the African American communtites are the increasingly number of individuals who have depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or other mental issues. Coming from the South side of Chicago, violence plays a huge role in the developement of mental issues and compassion or understanding of another persons situation is very rare. We live in a self-centered community where individuals aren't comfortable with expressing themselves properly based off their experiences without exorting to exterior resources that aren't useful. There are many negative outlets such as drugs, alcohol, vandalism, abuse to ones self or even attempt of suicide. This lack of attentiveness has to be changed to help the trajectory of our communities to make everyone feel comfortable. Many solutions could be put forth to address mental health, but only so many could help develop results such as 24/7 Hotlines where a particular person could contact a licensed therapist that could provide meaningful techniques to deal with such issues. A way I could assist in bridging the gap is being that advocate in African American communities for those suffering and going through many inequalitites because they dont have the power to do so themselves. Also I can make those who aren't aware knowledgeable of the different types of mental issues, how to identify the symptoms of mentally unstable individuals and how to potentially assist them as they navigate through life. As Black people, we're all in this together and it'll take us all to make a collective difference.
My name is Eric Daily and I am an incoming Cinema Television and Emerging Media Studies major at Morehouse. Recently, one of my close family members have just been diagnosed with this disease, so this health disparity has unfortunately been the one that I am as familar with as I am concerned. Although anyone can get cancer and it is not strictly bound to one demographic, the black community has a significantly higher chance of being affected by its deadly impact than any other race. Some of the reason for this is partially due to the lack of informance on this topic in our community, and other parts are due to some of us being more stubborn than others when warned to have a doctor look at obvious signs. More and more of our friends, brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers are being diagnosed with this disease every year. There are steps we can take to prevent the deaths of the people in our lives we hold so close, and one of the most important steps is raising awareness. As an Eagle Scout, Bonner Scholar, and CTEMS major, I feel that it is my duty to raise awareness through volunteering with and donating to cancer research foundations that are in line with the same values I believe in. I also intend to use my own voice to spread awareness through production and cinematography.
Hello,
My name is Dre’Quan Chisholm and I am an incoming Biology major at Morehouse College. In the African American community there’s one medical condition labeled as The Silent Killer (high blood pressure) This condition’s formal name is Hypertension has been an ongoing battle in the African American community. The percentage rate of “the silent killer” in the white community it is 27% while in the African American community it is 41% because of unhealthy food, stress, lack of physical activity, and the reoccurrence through genes. In most cases the lack of health care and knowledge causes symptoms like chronic headaches, dizziness, and lack of balance to be ignored. To help close the hypertension gap between the African American and the white community I will utilize different outlets such as television, radio, schools, and health fairs. My objective will be to make individuals aware of the dangers of ignoring symptoms and not seeking medical attention. At the health fairs there will be stations where people can have their blood pressure checked for free and receive valuable information from health professionals.
My name is Donald Moore, III and I am a freshman Computer Science major with a minor in sports journalism. As the world faces many health disparities today, blacks face an issue with obesity throughout society. Nearly 48% of African-Americans face obesity which has left society with the question of how can the issue of obesity be fixed. Coming from the Nation's Capital, I have seen many children that are minorities be fed unhealthy meals which is the cause of obesity in today's age. It is apparent that the parents do not care much about it as they continue to allow their children to be raised within a home that doesn't contain healthy foods. So, the question that remains is how can I can fix the problem with obesity? I plan to decrease the percentage of obese African-Americans by hosting health clinics that will provide information on how obesity creates other health issues and how parents can help limit obesity. The clinic will also provide healthy solutions including goody bags that hold healthy snacks inside. It is my goal as an advocate for healthier lifestyles to limit obesity and create better eating habits for children throughout society today.
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