HE:ED Highlight : Define Health Disparities

A fifth-grader recently asked her mother what health disparities were after hearing the words uttered (from someone closer to the register) while in line at the mall. The mother's reply was a little different than the definition given on wikipedia. The girl's mother said "that means poor people can't afford rich people's doctors".

Really?? Is that what it means?

After hearing something like that, any curious person is forced to bring the subject up with any available group to seek feedback....wouldn't you?

Holiday gatherings provide a captive audience so...here's what the captives thought.

An eleven (11) year old girl said she thought it meant " when people from different racial or economic backgrounds receive a different level of health-care then others" An eight year old said "I don't know what it is exactly but, I know it's not fair".
A mother said "it's something I don't want my children to have to think about". A college student said "it means there's still work to be done to live up to the words and ideas of those who came before us".

Pictured above and to the left is Augustus A. White III, Harvard educated Stanford graduate and surgeon. His own thoughts and feelings about health disparities led him to write a book entitled "Seeing Patients: Unconscious Bias in Health Care"

Although the definition of health disparities will continue to vary, hopefully the discussion, literary works and advocacy amongst those that wish to close the gap will become more and more streamlined. There will be those that will acknowledge that the disparities exist and do nothing but, let's hope there are more individuals that act (by comparison).

More info on health disparities:
Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHD)