Awareness months are observed to encourage recognition of cultural and socioeconomic issues. Not many people know that April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM), a 30-day-long period aiming to raise awareness of the minority and disproportionately vulnerable communities that receive inadequate protection and treatment in the healthcare industry.
In a study done by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), it has been found that “racial and ethnic minorities receive lower-quality health care than white people.” Some minority groups struggle with being adequately represented in healthcare, and this problem persists which is why NMHM strives to raise awareness of this issue.
NMHM was established in 1915 by Booker T. Washington; It began as a week-long educational program called ‘National Negro Health Week.’ Later, in 2002, Congress passed a resolution to expand the observation to a month-long period. The month-long awareness period helps to “promote healthfulness in minority and other communities experiencing health disparities,” according to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).
According to the CDC, a persistent issue in healthcare settings due to ethnic and racial disparities is that Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than White women. Some contributing factors include implicit bias, variations in the quality of healthcare, and structural racism. Advocacy groups, including Black Mamas Matter Alliance, are working to “[…] envision a world where Black mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy,” as stated on their website.
Registered Nurse and Educator at Stony Brook Hospital, Nirmal Sharma, states that she too has experienced challenges in healthcare settings that contribute to racial and ethnic disparities. “Maybe I have never noticed it before, but then I eventually experienced it. I had an interview in the past and felt that because English was my second language, I was not chosen. I can speak English and understand it too. I was one of the only if not the only minority applicant. I knew I had the qualifications for it too. From that experience, I do feel shocked,” Sharma said
She voices her frustrations from experiencing these disparities firsthand, which aren’t limited to patients. Healthcare providers, nurses especially, know that their patient care is a priority. However, some minority groups do not receive the same type of priority that non-minority patients receive. “I believe, no I know, that people should be hired based on qualifications and overall behavior, not on the color of their skin or ethnicity. All people that need help from a hospital should receive it too, regardless of skin color,” Sharma said. She continued to emphasize the importance of receiving equal care and treatment regardless of race or ethnicity. By raising awareness throughout April, NMHM strives to make hospitals a more inclusive place so that all patients, regardless of background, feel comfortable enough to receive medical care.
Racial and ethnic minority groups often struggle to find representation in clinical research fields such as drug trials. According to the FDA, racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented in clinical research. Drug trials are the key to investigating whether or not there could be a cure for certain illnesses and diseases, but oftentimes these diverse groups steer away from them. These deterrents occur from past medical research done on ethnic groups, for example, the 1932 U.S Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee. In this study, 600 African American men were subjected to untreated syphilis. This distrust of the medical community stems from a structure that was built on systematic oppression and discrimination.
In a panel held through the FDA Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) on April 17, 2024, discussions were had regarding ‘Strategies to Increase Clinical Trial Participation for Diverse Communities.’ This panel was represented by OMHHE’s Racial and Ethnic Minority Acceleration Consortium for Health Equity (REACH), which was established in 2023.
With concerns about the lack of minority participation, various misconceptions were brought up concerning this issue. “That largest misconception is that the community is not interested in participating in clinical trials… The underrepresented populations are indeed very interested in participating in clinical trials. They just don’t know how to access them,” said Claudia Baquet, PhD, Affiliate Professor of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. This is coupled with a series of historical research abuses that are in the back of people’s mind and more contemporary areas that make people afraid to talk about” Baquet continued. This knowledge is vital to understanding why ethnic and racial minorities have not been able to access these types of trials. By providing access for minorities to gain trust in their communities among healthcare professionals, that level of trust can help break down barriers of systemic injustices that have been issued for decades.
In addition to helping communities gain trust and knowledge in their healthcare providers, Perla Nunes, Project Manager, and Clinical Trial Research Expert weigh in the fact that a lot of clinical trials and healthcare research are often out of reach for minorities, especially those in rural communities.“One of the things that I find with clinical trials is that sometimes, a lot of the times, the sites are very far away from where the communities are, and we expect people to get public transportation […] So why not have the sites where the communities are, right, somewhere there […] So let’s consider federally qualified healthcare centers, free clinics, as a site for our communities. And then awareness, you know, bringing awareness to our communities” Nunes said.
Trust was a key factor that was discussed heavily throughout the panel. The panelists expressed that minorities of all different backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexuality, and gender, deserve to have trust in the medical system. By bringing awareness into communities about the importance of inclusivity in healthcare, and clinical trials, it can help strengthen and improve relationships between healthcare providers and patients.
Unequal healthcare can be attributed to the lack of trust among medical professionals and research along with the lack of understanding among racial and ethnic minorities. National Minority Health Month of April is working to improve relations between minority communities and medical professionals, and they are working to bring awareness of this persistent problem in the medical community.