Barriers to healthcare for women and minorities

Poverty and lack of education are two big barriers to healthcare for women and minorities. Low levels of education are associated with low life expectancies and high mortality rates. People living in poverty often lack education about when, why, and where to access healthcare. There have been various legislative activities in the US to improve public health.

On the basis of your understanding of the access to healthcare facilities and impacts of barriers to healthcare access, answer the following questions:

• Explain at least three public health campaigns targeting access to healthcare for women and/or minorities. Describe at least two aspects of their advertising strategies that have addressed income and education.
• Abortion has been the subject of numerous legislative activities in the United States. How have various legislations affected low-income and minority women?
• Describe the legal battle over birth control devices in the United States. Include how access to healthcare has been affected by the legal decisions.
• Describe the legal barriers to healthcare access for low-income immigrant minorities.
• Review the articles, “Ethnic and gender disparities in needed adolescent mental health care”, and “Overlooked and underserved: Improving the health of men of color”. Explain what it means to be “overlooked” by the healthcare system.
• Discuss at least two examples that illustrate why minorities are often overlooked in the healthcare system. Do you agree or disagree with these reasons, why or why not?
• Despite the fact that school-based psychological counseling is available to all students, Thomas et al., report that ethnic disparities in mental healthcare access and utilization still persist. Explain why this disparity exists. What can be done to decrease mental health access and utilization barriers for low-income and minority students?
• What strategies does former U.S. Surgeon General, David Satcher, M.D., discuss that will decrease the potential for minorities to be overlooked by the healthcare system?