Navigating Healthcare as an Underserved Patient: My Journey as a Minority Advocating for Healthcare
As a 46-year-old mother of two and the head of a national nonprofit organization, I have dedicated much of my life to advocating for the causes I believe in. But it is healthcare that truly shapes my daily existence. As a cancer survivor with heart disease, diabetes, extremely high blood pressure, and limited vision due to legal blindness, I’ve been forced to navigate the U.S. healthcare system in ways that have left me feeling unheard, unseen, and forgotten.
In America, there’s a larger story at play—one I know all too well: healthcare should be a right, but it’s often a privilege for some. As a Black woman and a patient with multiple serious health conditions, I’ve experienced firsthand how the healthcare system can fail marginalized individuals like myself. The barriers I’ve faced have everything to do with the color of my skin and the limited financial resources at my disposal.
An Unheard and Unseen Patient
Every time I step into a doctor’s office, it feels like an uphill battle. I am, in many ways, a ghost. I walk into these spaces, share my concerns, and yet I am often met with skepticism or indifference. My pain isn’t always validated, my symptoms are sometimes trivialized, and I’ve watched as my treatment needs are dismissed due to medical biases. It's as if my story is irrelevant because of the intersection of my race and socioeconomic status.
This is what medical racism looks like. It’s a persistent, systemic issue that undermines the health and well-being of ethnic minorities within healthcare settings. Whether it's the history of racial disparities in treatment or the implicit biases held by healthcare professionals, the result is the same: I’m often invisible in spaces where my health should be prioritized.
The Impact of Medical Racism
Medical racism refers to the bias and discrimination that minorities like myself face within the healthcare system. This systemic issue manifests in many forms, from lack of representation in clinical trials to the personal biases that doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals may harbor. These biases—whether conscious or unconscious—can lead to delayed diagnoses, missed opportunities for early intervention, and, ultimately, poor health outcomes.
For example, as a woman with diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, I often find myself being labeled as a “complex case” or “difficult patient” due to the numerous conditions I manage. I’ve had healthcare providers ignore my pleas for more urgent treatment or dismiss my symptoms as just a product of my chronic conditions. This is an all-too-common experience for minorities like me, and the impact on our lives is far-reaching.
The Challenges I Face
One of the most consistent challenges I face is the dismissal of my symptoms. When a healthcare provider doesn’t fully listen or validate my pain, it exacerbates the toll my health conditions take on me. The skepticism I encounter leads to delays in treatment, which means prolonged suffering, worsening health, and an increased risk of complications. As an African American woman, I have watched countless stories of people who share my plight, and we all face similar struggles within a system that seems ill-equipped to address our needs.
There is overwhelming evidence to show that racial disparities in health outcomes are not an accident. Studies consistently show that Black Americans are more likely to suffer from conditions like hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes—and that they are also more likely to die prematurely from these conditions than their white counterparts. The stark reality is that these health inequalities are exacerbated by a system that fails to understand, let alone address, the unique challenges faced by marginalized communities.
The Need for Advocacy
In the face of these harsh realities, advocating for myself and others in similar situations has become a necessity. I cannot afford to remain silent. My story, my voice, and my advocacy are crucial to shedding light on these disparities. I speak out to raise awareness, to push for policy changes, and to demand that the voices of underserved patients are heard.
Healthcare professionals and policymakers must be held accountable for addressing medical racism and inequality. If we are to move toward a more inclusive healthcare system, we must first acknowledge the ways in which the system has been built to neglect marginalized patients.
Empowering Patients Through Education
One of the most important steps in combating medical racism is educating patients like me about our rights and how to navigate the healthcare system. Health literacy is crucial for empowerment. If more patients understood their rights to quality care, the healthcare system would have no choice but to evolve. By equipping patients with the tools to advocate for themselves, we can begin to break down the barriers that have long restricted our access to proper care.
Pushing for Policy Changes
Medical racism cannot be defeated by individual efforts alone. Systemic changes are imperative. Policy reform and advocacy must go hand-in-hand to address these longstanding issues. I am fighting for policies that will bring about true equity in healthcare, including ensuring that all patients, regardless of their race, socioeconomic status, or gender, receive the best possible care.
Collaboration between patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers is essential to make this change happen. Without the active participation of every stakeholder in the healthcare system, real progress will remain out of reach.
Improving Healthcare Provider Training
One of the most vital components of reform is improving the training of healthcare providers. Cultural sensitivity, implicit bias training, and an understanding of the social determinants of health are key areas that need to be addressed. By cultivating an environment of empathy and inclusivity, we can foster better relationships between healthcare providers and patients of all backgrounds.
Additionally, increasing diversity in the medical workforce is essential. Representation matters. When healthcare providers reflect the communities they serve, it makes it easier to form trust, engage in open dialogue, and ultimately deliver better care.
As a Black woman with multiple chronic conditions, my experiences within the healthcare system have been far from ideal. The journey to getting the care I need is often frustrating, exhausting, and fraught with obstacles. But I refuse to be silenced. I refuse to be overlooked. Through my advocacy, I hope to inspire others in underserved communities to speak out, demand change, and push for a healthcare system that treats everyone with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Medical racism is a pervasive issue, but it is not insurmountable. Through education, policy reform, and a collective effort to eliminate bias in the healthcare system, we can create a future where all individuals, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, receive the quality healthcare they deserve. Until then, I’ll continue to fight for change—because healthcare is a right, not a privilege.
Thank you to Mills Peninsula Medical Center in Millbrae, California that saved my life. For the doctors in New York and Michigan who couldn’t hear me, I hope you’re listening now.
For more information about Silent Cry, Inc. and how to get involved with community advocacy, visit silentcryinc.org. Support Post Traumatic Prison Disorder legislation by clicking here, and donate to Silent Cry's other programs by clicking here.
