Responses for Discussion Question
- How effective is this approach in reducing racial/ethnic health disparities in Lucas County, Ohio? Why do you say that?
The suggested approach is not practical because of the low numbers that show up for the meetups, and the majority of the attendees are the white people living in the region. The meetings also comprise announcements being made and listening to guest speakers instead of making recommendations and suggestions on improving healthcare delivery and outcomes for the people. The forums are not engaging or focused on the goal they were designed, reducing their effectiveness. Considering the forum is intended for minority groups to help reduce disparities in service delivery, there is little consideration for their input into the meetings since they are not given a platform to communicate. The indicators that are expected to be reported on are not sufficient since they do not focus on improving healthcare delivery for the minority groups. The dip in attendance rates of the people of color is likely because of the lack of engagement during the events and seeming lack of focus on their needs.
- Based on what you have learned so far in this course, describe what you would do differently if you were the Director of the Minority Health Commission for Lucas County.
Assuming the role of the Director of the Minority Health Commission for Lucas County, I would improve the program by centering them on the minority groups. The forum would involve collecting information from the individuals to help understand how they are affected by disparity. The data will be synthesized and broken down to determine the cause for inequalities in the highlighted areas while suggesting measures for bridging the gap. Another approach would be to carry out a community engagement program where directors and other facilitators for providing services are involved. Direct engagement will help them obtain first-hand information that will be used to enhance the decision-making process for implementing improved and effective outcomes for the programs. Unnecessary proceedings such as announcements and guest speakers will be eliminated since they are counterproductive and do not help meet the forum’s goals and objectives. The proceedings of the conference will also be documented for reference, accountability, and sharing to update the individuals on the progress of the changes and implementations made to meet multi-cultural needs.