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Thank you for sharing your story, @ericabrivera. I was struck by “Don’t affirm my truth-telling in private, echo it publicly.” So here’s a thread. https://twitter.com/ericabrivera/status/1263806589330489344
I also have a chronic illness that attacks my body, multiple sclerosis. I belong to many support groups on the internet, and I want to publicly affirm the truth of what she says.
IBPOC Americans do not receive the same access of care as white people. This study is from 2010: “Blacks and AI/ANs received worse care than Whites for about 40% of measures.” https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqrdr10/minority.pdf
And it didn’t improve in 2015: “Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians and Alaska Natives received worse care than Whites for about 40% of quality measures.” https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqdr15/2015nhqdr.pdf
My guess would be if we don’t say anything, healthcare disparities are still not going to improve in 2020 and beyond.
I was lucky. When I was diagnosed with MS, I received a very quick diagnosis and was immediately admitted to the hospital for treatment. Knowing why I struggled to walk helped to ebb the torrential nightmare I was in. To not have a doctor help me might have broken me.
Yet people in support groups talk all the time about how doctors don’t believe them. They continue to drown in that nightmare of uncertainty. We also don’t talk enough about chronic illness and disability outside of those spaces.
Everyone deserves equal access to quality healthcare. White people, we need to use our voices to press political candidates on this issue. We also need to lift up IBPOC concerns, not just our own.
Teachers, think about what you can do to help students and teachers with chronic illnesses and disabilities. This has become even more relevant in the Covid-19 pandemic. Healthcare is an educational issue.
Thank you again, @ericabrivera!
