In normal times, medical training is challenging and stressful. The amount of time away from loved ones can bring giants to their knees. Add in the fears and uncertainties of a pandemic, I’m amazed that anyone, and any relationships, are surviving.
My heart goes out to the families, such as many of my patients at Harbor-UCLA, who are struggling to make ends meet, while also navigating all of their responsibilities and relationships, during the pandemic.
Growing up in Oakland, I quickly saw first-hand how racism resigns people of color, and Black Americans in particular, to shorter, sicker lives.
Data shows that African Americans in Alameda County live roughly seven years fewer than the county average.
If we act now, we can radically reshape our society in a positive way. Reducing the impact of and ultimately ending systemic racism has to be at the top of the list.
COVID-19 is decimating our outdated safety net, and the vital links between families and their local economic, health and social supports.
The pandemic has made “underlying conditions” the new code phrase for the social and health inequities disproportionately impacting black and brown communities.
Shelter-in-place policies are compounding the isolation, stress, misinformation and trauma that are common to many communities of color.
The pandemic and protests have laid bare the depths of our nation’s disparities. Your race should not determine whether you live or die. It should not influence whether your doctor listens to you, or whether you can breathe clean air.
But—too often—it does.
In my own family, I’ve seen the results of racism and redlining play out over generations in Los Angeles, limiting where some family members could purchase homes, raise their children and retire.
The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on millions of Californians. This is especially true among low-income families, including my patients at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Most of our families barely get by in the best of times. How will they fare during a viral-induced economic downturn? The pandemic is exposing how fragile their lives are.
As the conversation around the coronavirus pandemic slowly turns toward what comes next, and how to structure and phase the recovery, the policy shifts toward fairness and equality should be protected.
Our goal should not be to try to move back as quickly as possible to normal. Normal set the conditions for the devastating outbreak and inadequate response.
For years, public health programs have worked hard to make immunization equitable, shielding all children from preventable illnesses. If children fall behind in their vaccination schedule, immunity will begin to wane, and the likelihood of vaccine-preventable outbreaks will increase in the coming months.
If you haven’t heard from your pediatrician yet, call your medical home to ask how and when they plan to resume well visits and vaccinations.
Why is COVID-19 disproportionately taking the lives of African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and low-income workers?
Community conditions too often undermine health and wellbeing for low-income people and people of color. To achieve a more equitable future, we need to change the policies that unevenly distribute health-promoting resources.
As chief medical officer of the largest public health plan in the Central Valley, serving 335,000 Medi-Cal patients, I am very worried about our vulnerable members.
We have to act now to flatten the infection curve and save lives, including those of our health care professionals. This is particularly crucial in this part of California. In the Central Valley, we have been battling a severe, long-time shortage of doctors and nurses.
When it comes to dental care, California is not serving vulnerable kids and families well. As a state, we need to commit to enacting solutions that will provide all children with better access to high-quality dental care.