OUR STORY
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Our goal is health equity for African Americans and an integrated health center that will appropriately serve a community that has lacked effective prevention and early intervention services for generations. The Center will provide the ethnic-specific, integrated health care, indicated as beneficial in the research and provided to other ethnic communities with positive results.
The 2011 Alameda County, African American Utilization report announced that African Americans have the least life expectancy and most disease burden of all major ethnic groups. We are disproportionately misdiagnosed, prescribed older generations of drugs with debilitating side effects, disproportionately restrained and subjected to involuntary medications. We use a lions share of mental health resources but services are delivered in the most restrictive settings such as jails and hospitals. The Report acknowledged that African Americans are inappropriately served, experiencing poor health outcomes and shortened life expectancy. Due to centuries of abuse, neglect and experimentation by health care professions African Americans are reluctant to engage in services. Some delay treatment till crisis. Even with adequate resources, even when fully engaged in treatment, African Americans still experience poor outcomes, leading researchers to conclude that African Americans receive a lower quality of health care. The report noted that these disparities in access to quality health care is a local, state and national problem. Today in 2020, African Americans in Alameda County have the least life expectancy, most disease burden, most deaths by preventable illness and are highly vulnerableto COVID 19 death. Dire statistics continue to demonstrate the affects of a failed health care system. |
WHY INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE?
According to Alameda County research, lack of integrated health care is a risk factor for poor health and reduced life expectancy.
Integrating mental and medical health care services increases engagement, reduces medication errors, promotes provider collaboration, produces better outcomes and reduced costs. Alameda County research cites lack of integrated care as a risk factor for poor health and shortened life expectancy. Ethnic-centered, integrated health care is recognized as beneficial to marginalized people and is available to every major ethnic group except African Americans.
Asian Americans have 3 strategically located integrated care facilities; and outlive African Americans by 10 years. Latinos have 2 integrated facilities and outlive African Americans by 8 years. Native Americans have 1 publicly funded health care facility and outlive African Americans by 5 years. This funding pattern has persisted since the 1970s. No longer waiting for the system to intervene, we are collaborating with community members and providers and asking the community’s assistance in building an African American Health Center.
The Center will deliver culturally responsive services and appropriate, credible messaging. It will communicate vital information during this COVID era, as treatments and vaccines are deployed and beyond and advocate for appropriate policies in venues where African American voices should be heard. The Health Center will instill a sense of trust in the health care system and transform how services are delivered to African Americans. We are asking for your support to build this important institution for ourselves and those coming behind.
Integrating mental and medical health care services increases engagement, reduces medication errors, promotes provider collaboration, produces better outcomes and reduced costs. Alameda County research cites lack of integrated care as a risk factor for poor health and shortened life expectancy. Ethnic-centered, integrated health care is recognized as beneficial to marginalized people and is available to every major ethnic group except African Americans.
Asian Americans have 3 strategically located integrated care facilities; and outlive African Americans by 10 years. Latinos have 2 integrated facilities and outlive African Americans by 8 years. Native Americans have 1 publicly funded health care facility and outlive African Americans by 5 years. This funding pattern has persisted since the 1970s. No longer waiting for the system to intervene, we are collaborating with community members and providers and asking the community’s assistance in building an African American Health Center.
The Center will deliver culturally responsive services and appropriate, credible messaging. It will communicate vital information during this COVID era, as treatments and vaccines are deployed and beyond and advocate for appropriate policies in venues where African American voices should be heard. The Health Center will instill a sense of trust in the health care system and transform how services are delivered to African Americans. We are asking for your support to build this important institution for ourselves and those coming behind.
