A National Minority Health Month? I want a National Minority Health Year!
Having a National Minority Health Month gives me hope. I am thankful that in April 1915, Dr. Booker T. Washington established the "National Negro Health Week." Today, this has become a month-long movement that promotes health equity across all racial and ethnic minority groups in this country. In addition, the movement seeks to reduce health disparities that exist in the delivery of healthcare among Americans. Those differences are based on socio-economic status and job security. Everyone deserves to be healthy and have access to healthcare, and this seems like a simple right that is often overlooked. Despite the hope I feel, reflecting on this issue also makes me very sad. While it should be not a problem to see a doctor, attend therapy, and have the resources to treat any physical or mental illness. The reality we live in is that not everyone is entitled to this. Society, capitalism, and discrimination are a reality. Nowadays, if you do not have a job, it is hard to have access to health insurance because the cost of care can be extremely expensive without health insurance. Those barriers to racial and ethnic minorities living in poverty prevent those communities from having access to and seeking healthcare.
It is upsetting how minority communities have to fight for something inherently needed, such as healthcare. Every human, despite any intersectionality, deserves to be healed and receive treatment of any kind. Because humans are worthy and are valuable, we should not have to fight so hard to get our basic needs met. Today, we have one month, April, to celebrate the National Minority Health Month and this took a little over one hundred years to recognize as important in a larger cultural scale. While this is a significant step compared to years ago. This is not where we should be. Every month, every day, every year should be The Minority Health Month to encourage all people to be the best version of ourselves. Primary care is a human right; however, it is being treated like a human privilege where only the most advantage people can access.
According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, health is one of human's basic needs. In order to survive, people need to have shelter, water, food; those are our physiological needs. It is crucial for our physiological needs to have a healthy mind and body. However, people often perceive the mind as separate from the body. This is one reason mental health is neglected and has a stigma around it. It makes it harder for people to have their basic needs met, which leads them to neglect their emotional needs, and no one should be blame for trying to meet their basic needs first. However, it is necessary to pay attention to our mental health and seek treatment when experiencing mental health illnesses. Still, access to mental health is also inhibited by the lack of access to health care in general. Mental health care can be quite expensive, and when people do not have health insurance, it gets more challenging, and it seems almost impossible for people to ask for help because they lack resources. I want to raise awareness of this issue. As mental health providers, we must acknowledge the stigma and the barriers to mental health access; we have to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves and make access to mental health care more accessible. I am pleased that as a group, we at CORE- Center of Relational Empowerment, PC see clients by offering sliding scale fees. In this way, we are taking small steps to help minimize the financial barriers that so many families have in seeking therapy.
