Free Paper Example: Health Disparity the Case of Hurricane Katrina

Introduction

Health disparity in the United States has been exacerbated by the deep-rooted differences in the opportunities accorded to some groups to achieve better healthcare (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016). Undeniably, this has resulted in unjust differences in overall health outcomes. Notably, the differential treatment and access to vital resources have been attributed to entrenched structural inequities hinged on the social, economic, environmental, political, and cultural determinants of health. (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016) It should be noted that structural inequities have always reinforced differences in important health metrics such as life expectancy.

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Ethical Considerations During Public Health Research

Understandably, research targeting vulnerable groups is required to adhere to certain ethical considerations to ensure they directly benefit (Bromley et al., 2015). Public health researchers are always faced with different ethical issues that they must adequately address to guarantee the acceptability of their research work on vulnerable populations. Discussing such ethical principles is critical to ensure that the set objectives of the research are achieved. One of the ethical issues faced by public health researchers is respect for persons. Undoubtedly, this ethical principle is hinged on the fact that individuals have self-determination, and they can make decisions regarding what will be done to them. Concerning beneficence, researchers are required to have an in-depth obligation to do good and ensure that their research benefits vulnerable populations (Bromley et al., 2015). Another ethical issue is justice, which requires researchers to use fairness in asking research questions. Further, justice involves setting grounds for equitable distribution, where people get benefits according to their overriding needs. Equally important, informed consent requires researchers to provide accurate information to participants concerning the research (Bromley et al., 2015). It is imperative to note that consent is given voluntarily to achieve a desirable outcome.

Vulnerable Groups Potentially at Risk

Disasters always expose vulnerability within society. Risk factors identification is important in mitigating the devastating impact of such disasters (Schnake-Mahl et al., 2020). The specific vulnerable groups that were facing potential risk resulting from the Hurricane Katrina disaster included ethnic minorities, individuals living in poverty, and people with immigrant status. Notably, impoverished individuals always have low socioeconomic status, forcing them to live in less secure and more polluted areas that exacerbate their chances of being adversely affected by the disaster (Schnake-Mahl et al., 2020). Moreover, the entrenched differential treatment of ethnic minority groups such as African Americans always means that they are accorded necessary environmental protection to curtail any potential risk posed by a disaster. Further, individuals with immigrant status are seldom given high-quality housing to shield them from the adverse effects of disaster (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016). Additionally, affluent neighborhoods always deliberately destroy levees in poor neighborhoods, thereby exposing them to risks.

Proposed Strategies to Promote Equity

Promoting awareness of barriers that enhance inequity. Understandably, this strategy will ensure that the advantaged groups realize the difficulties experienced by vulnerable groups in accessing health services.

Elimination of non-progressive and discriminatory attitudes. Notably, exclusion based on race, political, and socio-economic status has been entrenched in the US. Discouraging such discriminatory practices will undoubtedly help reinforce equity.

Developing multi-sectoral access initiatives. Undeniably, this will be integral in creating incentives for funders to embed intervention strategies to foster equity in the provision of healthcare.

Adopting a collective approach to addressing global healthcare access issues. Since people across the globe face the challenges of access, building a platform that encourages sharing strategies and knowledge will be instrumental in forestalling equity.

Engaging the vulnerable groups during the development of intervention measures. It should be noted that vulnerable populations always have a deep understanding of the problems they experience as a result of access. Therefore, promoting their engagement will assist in developing effective measures to restore equity.

Strategies to Prevent Potential Human Rights Violations

Develop training programs to impart human rights violators with adequate knowledge of the need to stop the vice. More fundamentally, victims should be aware of institutions where they can seek redress when their human rights are violated.

Creating reform policies and outlining how they can be fully implemented. Policy-makers should develop elaborate policies and procedures on human rights violations to assist bodies mandated with curtailing the vice in implementing them.

Embracing social media technology to promote awareness. The use of media platforms will play a key role in highlighting human rights violations, violators, and victims and provide grounds for addressing the violations.

Supporting the development of robust legal and regulatory frameworks. Undoubtedly, this strategy will assist regions to adequately protect the rights of their people from being violated.

Allocating adequate resources will bolster the capacity of human rights activists to mitigate the problem. Notably, this will allow them to create programs that guide actions against human rights violations.

Conclusion

It is worth noting that vulnerable populations are always afforded limited access to critical resources such as healthcare. The problem has been caused by entrenched racial, political, social, and economic differences. To address the inequity in access to resources, there should be a promotion awareness campaign to enable advantaged groups to understand the consequences of their actions. More fundamentally, developing comprehensive legal frameworks will significantly help in addressing the problem of human rights violations.

References

Bromley, E., Mikesell, L., Jones, F., & Khodyakov, D. (2015). From subject to participant: Ethics and the evolving role of community in health research. American Journal of Public Health, 105(5), 900-908. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPh.2014.302403

National Center for Health Statistics (US. (2016). Health, United States, 2015: With a special feature on racial and ethnic health disparities. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27308685/

Schnake-Mahl, A., Sommers, B. D., Subramanian, S. V., Waters, M. C., & Arcaya, M. (2020). Effects of gentrification on health status after Hurricane Katrina. Health & place, 61, 102237. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829219301777