Written by 2 Public Health Academy (PHA) interns based on interviews with their peers

We strongly believe that this problem is very real in our world and in the community. So, we wanted to find out what our friends thought about it. After concluding our interviews, we saw that our friends had similar responses to the main questions: Do you believe that minorities are equally cared for? Are minorities underrepresented in the public health community?

Unequal treatment was a common theme cited among our friends, especially minorities and the less fortunate. Many also commented that people within the black and brown communities are less likely to get medical care and less likely to get treated with similar care. For example, black women more likely to die during childbirth than white women.

Our friends feel this problem is definitely ignored. Some of the communities that are having the most financial difficulties are receiving little to no help from the government. How can we pay for healthcare when we’re already struggling? Many people we know have gone through this problem and the struggles associated with it. It’s a hard problem and society needs to wake up and see how the black community is often ignored when it comes to healthcare. We aren’t cared for enough compared to the white community, and we receive little assistance.

We, the writers both believe that when black people are placed in positions of higher power it can help shed light on this issue; and help with providing solutions. Other possible solutions could be providing funding by the participation of certain programs and or making healthcare free for the lower class. Our interviewees shared the same ideas. Both agreed that lower-income minority groups should have free healthcare whereas those who can afford it should pay for it.