Embedded Injustice In Every Aspect Of American Life

Summary

Systematic injustice has occurred for many decades, and it currently proliferates in this tumultuous political environment. This injustice is found in multiple areas such as education, employment, socioeconomic status, and health, especially injustices in institutionalized settings. Injustices have made their way into healthcare settings making it difficult to receive adequate, accessible, and affordable treatment. These disparities are ubiquitous in clinical settings, insurance practices, and provider treatments (van Ryn & Fu, 2011). Certain areas which have contributed to this injustice reside in housing specifically low-income neighborhoods, the U. S. criminal justice system, and those of low socioeconomic status. In order to improve these areas, government and organizations interventions must take place such as housing subsidies, corrections and community collaboration and more insight on the multiple factors of low socioeconomic status. This transformation can lead to a more equitable society by re-addressing biases

Background/Diagnosis

The problem does not only exist in healthcare but exists in every aspect of American life. Disparities can be traced back to the genesis of the American government with the encounters of both blacks and Native Americans. With these two groups of people, the government enacted laws and policies to oppress the minority population (Bailey et al. , 2017). From these laws and policies, it has paved a way for the roots of white supremacy to take hold in various areas such income, health, the criminal justice system, and housing (Bailey et al. , 2017). Relevant areas which need to be considered are:

Housing:

Public Health should focus on the ramifications housing leads to on health. Populations in the U. S. live in socially segregated neighborhoods (Bailey et al. , 2017). The housing in these segregated communities lies in near ruin conditions, contributing to environmental risk factors and inadequate access to needed opportunities. Housing quality in a state of despair contributing to direct health impacts in addition to environmental issues such as pollutants and a toxic environment. In addition to physical health impairments, low-income neighborhoods are subject to mental health illness as well in which the condition of the neighborhood has an undesirable impact on the residents (Williams and Williams-Morris, 2000). Furthermore, the segregated housing also has the ability to hinder access to health care services, education, and employment (Bailey et al. , 2017). With the improvement of housing, it plays a crucial role in improving the inequities associated with disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Criminal Justice System:

In the U. S. , the criminal justice system disproportionately affected minority populations; African Americans and Hispanics. In 2015 alone, 56% of the prison population consisted of African Americans and Hispanics (NAACP). This increases re-entry complications such as with mental health. In order to avoid further police encounters and racial profiling, many African Americans engage in coping strategies for said encounters and with the high rate of exposure to the justice system, direct victimization along with secondary victimization have negative mental health impacts (Williams and Williams-Morris, 2000). In addition to direct victimization, secondary impacts are felt amongst the family in which those who experience the loss of a loved one during childhood years, they are more likely to have mental health consequences later on in life (Williams and Williams-Morris, 2000).

Low Socioeconomic Status:

The racial differences created in the U. S. has led to differences in one’s socioeconomic status (Williams and Williams-Morris, 2000). Research has shown that low socioeconomic is attributed to increased rates of the uninsured, lack of continuous care, and a lower quality of care (Fiscella and Williams 2004). It is also a contribution to health status in which the socioeconomic status can predict both physical and mental health (Williams and Williams-Morris, 2000). Many African Americans have the impression put on them that health disparities such as cancers, diabetes, high mortality rates, cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases are due to genetics but the important causes of these adverse health effects are due to the “racial differences in socioeconomic status” (Fiscella and Williams 2004). In order to []Recommendations/Analysis Certain measures can be implemented in order for equitable practices which include:

Subsidized housing:

With governmental help, residences of low-income neighborhoods have the ability to find improved housing. The subsidy will in addition help to decrease the number of segregated impoverished neighborhoods (Alegria et al. , 2003). Under the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) program, the government offered vouchers for disadvantaged neighborhoods to seek affordable housing in improved areas in which participants reporting improved mental health with improved impacts on minorities (Alegria et al. , 2003).

Coordination of correctional and community organizations:

By the collaboration and coordination of correctional and community organizations, healthcare disparities for inmates and the rehabilitated can be improved. With the implementation of health interventions in prison can not only alleviate disparities in prison, but decreases in disparities can also be felt with the collaboration with the community by way of probation officers and parolees (Hicks et al. , 2011). A probation officer and parolee collaboration can be further enhanced by way of helping to improve access to health care, insurance reinstatement, and observance of any medical treatments during the rehabilitation period with follow-ups (Hicks et al. , 2011). This can lead to better post-prison outcomes and helping to reduce post-prison complications with discrimination and inadequate access and affordability to healthcare.

Address multiple factors of low socioeconomic status:

Causes of low socioeconomic status are due to multiple factors in which case not only one factor can be addressed. But by addressing a myriad of factors, it improves the chance to reduce disparities associated with the low status (Chin et al. , 2007). Thus, by opening up the arena to address more than one factor of socioeconomic status, this tactic can help mitigate more than one problem area.

Conclusion

Institutionalized racism is embedded in the American government beneath laws and policies making it systematically difficult for minorities from to participate in equitable practices. With these recommendations, it can support in the path to decrease disparities through government and community interventions and support. And through addressing multiple factors compared to just one, it can isolate the linkages on how these factors contribute to disparities and from there implement techniques and strategies for awareness and reduction. Through this, this embedded injustice can be slowly eradicated from within the American government.