Assignment One

What was most noteworthy for me from the article is that the United States has had a negative decrease in multiple statistics that can represent the overall health in our country. The United States is “supposedly” the greatest country in the world, but we have many health problems that are far greater than other countries of similar stature. The US has stated the life expectancy has decreased 2.7 years from 2019 – 2021, while maternal and pediatric deaths have also risen. These facts are disturbing, not just for the lost of life and quality of health decrease, but also because as of 2022, the US spent $6.13 trillion in national spending. This is the highest national spending we have ever had but health is going down… these do not add up together. 

On a personal level, the issues of US citizens, especially poor Americans, becoming increasingly less healthy struck a little bit of a nerve. One side of my family is more affluent and better off, compared to the other side of my family who live in lower income housing and live paycheck to paycheck, and I can see a direct correlation in health differences between their socioeconomic status. The poorer side of my family has had much more deaths relating to cancer and heart disease and on average have lived shorter lives compared to the more affluent side. As time has gone on, I have only seen an increase in differences of health and lifestyles. This is scary because as these differences widen, not only are poorer people becoming more unhealthy but I have also seen first hand the erosion of the love between the sides, mainly due to the greater socioeconomic status gap. 

Assignment Two

Race and racism have played a critical role in shaping the impact of COVID-19 on Black Americans. Although race is not a biological construct, its social reality manifests in disparities in health outcomes, particularly in the context of the pandemic. Black Americans experienced more severe illness and higher mortality rates from COVID-19 than other racial groups, not due to biological differences but due to built structural racism that has had a long influence in our culture. One example of structural racism that eventually led to a greater impact of COVID-19 on Black Americans is the environmental injustice that has plagued Black Americans. In the 1970s findings were discovered that communities of color are much more likely to be exposed to air, water, and land that is polluted compared to communities of predominantly White Americans. This had a direct link to COVID-19 as study by scientists of the Chan School found that people who had COVID-19 and lived in areas of high pollution are more likely to die from the disease than those in low pollution areas. Structural racism can also show in limited access to quality healthcare and occupational disparities. Many Black Americans live in neighborhoods with poor healthcare infrastructure leading to higher rates of working in high-risk jobs, and face systemic barriers in accessing health services. These factors also increase their vulnerability to COVID-19 and its complications.