Anonymous Interview; Region X (7/15/16)
1. Identification:
1. Identification:
-What
is your name? Anonymous
-Where
were you born? LA Boy
-Where
did you grow up? LA; Santa Monica Area
-Profession
currently: Health Profession
-Region
working in right now: 10
-State
living in right now: Oregon
2.
Why
are you interested in public health and how did you get into the field of
public health?
Both parents were health professionals.
Just figured it was a natural place for me to go. It seemed to be a natural way
for me to give back.
3.
What
is health equity to you?
Doing
the things that individualize care to help optimize health status. Doing the individual
things specific to a consumer, family or community that helps level their playing
field that helps them achieve optimal health and their health goals.
4.
What
are some challenges (that still persist) within the field of health equity in
public health?
People not knowing what it means, i.e.,
cultural competence -cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity. Just knowing
what it is important. What s even more so is when people know why it is in
their best interest as well as their client’s. Far too often, however, people
see it as a zero sum game, that is helping one community at the expense of
another. But often we fail to see how
effectively helping our clients is actually in the best interest of society and
the professionals and organizations working on their behalf.
5.
Why
do you think those challenges still persist?
Miscommunication about the viability of
human services. One side of the political aisle that would like to diminish
public health and another aisle does not understand the full extent of health
and related determinants. If you don’t have a life worth living, then personal health
may not a priority. We have to get on the same page to promote health equity in
ways that decrease health expenditures and increase satisfaction in life.
6.
What
models within your workforce have worked to encourage health equity?
Hiring, on boarding and orienting the
correct people. Ensuring that everyone is ready for this. And while we desire
and understand the value of a diverse work force, not just hire based on race, ethnicity
or what they look like but their willingness to become a health equity asset. Furthermore, we need to
become more aware of unconscious bias. We need to be able to have the ability
to work cross-culturally. This means doing your HW around different cultures
and advocating for different groups. Getting people to understand the platinum
rule is a lot of work. You have to ask, do your HW, and it varies from client
to client.
7.
At
the beginning of your career, what were some root causes for health inequities
and health disparities? How has those changed (or not at all) following the end
of your career?
Some
root causes are people being uninsured or underinsured for generations and or unemployed
or underemployed for generations. The concern for pursuing one’s health often
competes with paying rent and putting food on the table. There is also the
issue of the lack of access to providers. Then they potentially face another issue of
the providers not speaking their language and are not comfortable with them as
a whole. On
a different note, among the other issues include micro aggressions, biases,
food deserts are impacting certain group of people.
