Dr. Marleece Barber presented on opportunities and threats in health care related to addressing health disparities in minority communities. The presentation explored social and cultural challenges like language barriers and differences in beliefs, and identified higher rates of chronic diseases in minorities. It also examined career opportunities in areas like public health, opportunities for organizations through healthcare reform to improve data collection and increase minority representation, and how addressing access issues and quality of care can help reduce health disparities between minority and majority patients.

1. HEALTH CARE
OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS:
ADDRESSING HEALTH
DISPARITIES IN MINORITY
COMMUNITIES
Dr. Marleece Barber, MD, MHCM

2. Addressing Health Disparities in
Minority Communities

3. Objective
At the end of this session, you will be able to:
1. Explore social and cultural healthcare challenges
2. Identify career and corporate opportunities
3. Connect with leaders and managers engaged in
healthcare reform
4. Examine organizational contributions and
responsibilities in addressing healthcare disparities

4. Dr. Marleece Barber
• Chronic Disease: a Familial Story
• The Impact of
Hypertension, Diabetes, CAD, and Depression

5. Explore Social and Cultural
Healthcare Challenges
• Minorities tend to experience greater
morbidity and mortality due to chronic
disease
• African Americans twice as likely as whites to
have diabetes
• HTN and high cholesterol contribute to
complications of diabetes – cardiovascular
events, amputations

6. Increased Prevalence of Chronic
Diseases and Health Disparities
• Language and social barriers
• Differences in educational backgrounds
• Long held personal beliefs (religious, cultural)
that the provider may be unaware of

7. LGBT Health Disparities
• Discrimination and violence against LGBT
persons is associated with higher
incidence of mental health disorders.
(Depression, suicide and substance abuse

8. LGBT Health Disparities
• Less likely to have insurance
• More likely to delay care
• More often diagnosed with chronic
diseases or cancer
• Less likely to receive preventive care

9. Mental Health Disparities
African American patients:
• Usually seek professional help less often
and as a result delay or fail to receive
treatment
• Often fear services
• Have poor access to services needed
• Frequently receive suboptimal
pharmacotherapy

10. Mental Health Cultural Issues
• Stigma associated with mental health disorders
• Ineffective communication with providers
• Perceived lack of empathy by the patient from
the provider

11. Disparities in Treatment of
Osteoarthritis
• Most common type of arthritis, over 27 million
in the US
• Degenerative changes, usually in
knees, hips, and hands
• Painful condition
• Joint Replacement- AA 24-46% less likely to
receive/elect

12. Disparities in Joint Replacement
Utilization
• AA patients tend to opt for less invasive
treatment
• Believe surgical treatments are ineffective and
risk.
• Resignation that OA is part of aging

13. Identify Career and Corporate
Opportunities
• Corporate Medical Director
• Physician and nursing programs designed to
recruit to underserved areas
• Health Promotion Specialists
• Public Health Professionals
• Nurse Educators

14. Healthcare Reform
• Aims to reduce disparities in health and
healthcare by improving quality, reducing
costs and increasing access to care.

15. Healthcare Reform
• Improve patient data collection stratified by
race, ethnicity and language
• Develop quality improvement processes
• Expand research on health and healthcare
disparities
• Develop cultural competency programs for
health providers, and increase representation of
minorities in healthcare

16. Healthcare Reform
• Provide affordable insurance options for
underserved and underinsured individual
• Eliminate lifetime limits and pre-existing
condition exclusion.
• Provide preventive care and screening services
for tobacco, HIV and depression

17. Summary
Racial and ethnic minorities tend to have poorer
health status and health outcomes than majority
patients. By addressing language
barriers, training culturally competent
providers, increasing engagement, improving
access to care, and implementing quality
improvement initiatives, the gap can be
lessened.

18. Questions?
Thank You