Our day-to-day routines, lives, perspectives, and experiences have all been challenged over the past weeks and months. The events of the last few weeks bring to light the lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color which have been disrupted for centuries. We do not have all the answers and are certainly not perfect. Yet we are committed to growing and creating a safe space ensuring access to our health care services for all in our community. While social justice issues may seem irrelevant to our clinic happenings and health care - it’s more connected than you may think - let’s dig a bit deeper into health access inequality. More specifically, let’s talk about racism, privilege, and access to health care. These things are very much connected and cannot be ignored. Many factors connect racism and health care inequality. For instance, high costs of insurance and health care services, being under or uninsured, racial bias from providers, and lower rates of pay for providers in underserved communities are some of these factors. Research indicates that Black people are affected over two times as much as White non-Hispanic people with higher rates of unemployment, poverty, residential segregation, incarceration, diabetes, and psychological stress - all of these things negatively impact overall health and the ability to access quality health care. Not to mention the current health pandemic has greatly affected Black people. A recently published US study states that Black people make up nearly 1/4 of US counties yet are over half of the current pandemic cases and deaths. Increasing access to quality health care and improving health care structures and policies to address systemic racism is essential. We as a country, society, and people cannot reach optimal health when such health disparities and inequalities exist. [References at the end] Our clinic does not tolerate any language or actions that discriminate against race, religion, gender identity, physical ability, sexual orientation, class, size, or any other identity or group. If this has not been your experience, please do let us know so that we can learn, make changes, and continue to create a safe space for all. If you, too, are looking for some ways to learn and contribute, below are a few resources for education and places to donate. Please feel free to share, with credit given to the authors.
Resources for talking to your children about racism & race, from the Center for Racial Justice Education
Children's Books that talk about race & racism, from EmbraceRace
Anti-Racism Resource List, compiled by Molly Mandelberg
A Google Doc with links to community bail funds, memorial funds, political education resources, organizations to put on your radar as well as general advice/tips for people attending protests or using social media as an organizing tool
Anti-Racism Resources for white people, compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker & Alyssa Klein
Compilation of African-American independent films, from Array Now
In health, Sound Holistic Health Team
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