Race and Medicine: The Harm That Comes From Mistrust | The New York Times

The New York Times quotes a study by CEGA affiliate Marcella Alsan about distrust of the medical system and life expectancy as a contribution to the wide body of research concerning the racial gap in health outcomes.

“Racial discrimination has shaped so many American institutions that perhaps it should be no surprise that health care is among them. Put simply, people of color receive less care — and often worse care — than white Americans.

Reasons includes lower rates of health coverage; communication barriers; and racial stereotyping based on false beliefs. Predictably, their health outcomes are worse than those of whites.

African-American patients tend to receive lower-quality health services, including for cancer, H.I.V., prenatal care and preventive care, vast research shows. They are also less likely to receive treatment for cardiovascular disease, and they are more likely to have unnecessary limb amputations.

As part of “The 1619 Project,” Evelynn Hammonds, a historian of science at Harvard, told Jeneen Interlandi of The New York Times: “There has never been any period in American history where the health of blacks was equal to that of whites. Disparity is built into the system.”

Source: Race and Medicine: The Harm That Comes From Mistrust – The New York Times