Health Care for African Americans, Research Paper Example

Discuss and analyze the basic principles of cultural assessment

The cultural assessment discussion and analysis under review for this project encompasses a community evaluation. One of the basic principles of community cultural assessments lays in the premise that communities could be geographic or non-geographic. On some occasions analysts consider both. In this instance principles related to retrieving cultural data for assessment of the African American community will be addressed.  Four steps are contained in executing a community cultural assessment. They are:-

Step 1: This involves an information sweep whereby the analysts will gather as much information as possible regardless of whether it appears relevant or not at the time(Texas Commission of the Arts, 2010).

Step 11: Requires that this data be assembled into a community profile document. This is after categorization of data has been completed(Texas Commission of the Arts, 2010).

Step 111: Defining/selecting a model for the remaining portions of the assessment process. If the data retrieved during this initial procedure is consistent with previous assessment analysts should follow a fact finding model. However, in cases where diversity emerges and present data conflict with previous ones there is evidence of immense changes in the community. Consequently, further subdivisions must be made and conflicting issues be evaluated in more detail(Texas Commission of the Arts, 2010).

Step 1V: This entails intense evaluation of the information gathered in fact finding and detailed group process models, respectively. In concluding the assessment process recommendations are made and documented(Texas Commission of the Arts, 2010).

Description of sociocultural factors that impact health care of African Americans (access, availability, and acceptability).

Jia Conway(2012) an African American Advanced Nurse Practitioner writing in the Oncology Nurse Advisor magazine described ‘Disparities in Health care: The Black Population.’This author verified that the estimated black population in America is 61,000 by 2050. There have been high incidences of cancers among this population with an alarmingly low 5 year survival rate when compared to other ethnic groups. Importantly, she highlighted that American born blacks have a lower health outcome rate than blacks migrating from other parts of the world. The concern, however, was that the longer these migrants remain in the US their health status deteriorate comparably (Conway, 2012)

With reference to accessibility the author explained that disparities within this community emerge from a number of factors. These can be classified as racial and ethnic in origin presenting as multifactorial incidences. They embrace socioeconomic influence such as access to health education and adequate income through employment. Often lifestylebehaviors have been blamed for the health status of African Americans. These include physical activity; alcohol consumption, stigmatized neighborhoods; work environments and poor access to preventive health care services(Conway, 2012).

While health care is available to every American citizen and legal resident accessibility is difficult. African Americans have survived an era of segregation whereby they could not access health care from certain providers within the health care community just because they were black. Even though Jim Crow Laws are no longer written in American law books subtle strategies still exist within the managed care programs, which prevent African Americans from accessing quality care (Conway, 2013).

Access to health care in America is based on one’s ability to pay. More importantly, with the focus on cutting costs through managed care quality is not the goal.  Sixty percent of Americans are uninsured. Americans who are employed and have insurance coverage they still have to pay for certain services if those procedures are not covered under the managed care program. Hence, while the best services are available it is not accessible to all (Conway, 2012).

Another sociocultural dimension of African American health care lays in the dilemma that there seems to be deliberate attempts at marginalizing African American health status by publishing data showing where they have the highest HIV/AIDs rate in the country; more African Americans are affected by diabetes/hypertension than any other ethnic group; sickle cell is an African  disease for which no money is expended to research and more African Americans have all the serious diseases in the clinical diagnosis modules (Conway, 2012).

Consequently, like the Native Americans African Americans are beginning to lose faith in the American health care system. For example, it is not affordable rendering it inaccessible.4.9 million African American havediabetes.Since more African Americans have diabetes and hypertension they are the most appropriate subjects for drug trials so that they can receive free drug samples. Due to cost of medications African Americans become vulnerable to a system which offers the least, but demands the most. Some of these drugs produce adverse effects because they were not fully tested. Again African Americans’ health status is jeopardized due to socioeconomic factors (Conway, 2012).

Significantly the plight of African Americans vulnerability in accessing unethical damaging health care through drug trials and research studies which promise free screening and medication management cannot be over sighted. For example, the 1932-1972 forty year Tuskegee syphilis study is an historic reminder of how blacks are targeted in these trials and accused of spreading diseases in promoting marginalization strategies. It is obvious that America Health care system contains deliberate disparities aimed at destroying the African American health status; reducing their life span and eliminating the species (Kongstvedt, 2001).

Current studies reveal that African Americans do not scientists; doctors, scientists, and the government. Ninety percent of participants expressedethical concerns; credibility of research findings and deliberately targeting poor minorities (Corbie-Smith, Thomas,& Williams,1999).

Identification of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention Strategies and corresponding culturally appropriate outcomes.

There are no distinct primary, secondary and tertiary strategies aimed at improving African Americans’ accessibility to quality health care as it relates to their peculiar cultures. Health promotion attempts, however, focusing on minorities inevitably includes African Americans who have been classified as the poorest with the most severe diseases in comparison to any other ethnic groups within the country (Conway, 2012).

Conway’s (2012) article advanced that African Americans experience a lower health outcome than blacks migrating from other countries. Perhaps, more research and detailed community assessment ought to be conducted in relation to this issue. It shows clearly that culture matters in designing health care for any ethic group within the society. There is definite no one fits all health care services since people accept services to which they can culturally relate (Conway, 2012).

Secondary preventative measures can be accessed through Medicaid and Medicare interventions with managed care making the final decisions regarding which providers and services each patient can access. At the tertiary level insurance coverage provide long term care and rehabilitation services where necessary (Kongstvedt, 2001).

References

Conway, J. (2012). Disparities in Health care: The Black Population. Oncology Nurse Advisor

Corbie-Smith, G. Thomas, S., & Williams, M. (1999). Attitudes and Beliefs of African Americans toward Participation in Medical Research.J Gen Intern Med. 14(9): 537–546

Kongstvedt, P. (2001).The Managed Health Care Handbook (4th Edition), Aspen Publishers, Inc.

Texas Commission on the Arts (2010). Community Cultural Assessment.Texas Commission