One of the things that surprised me the most is how much culture affects healthcare.

Although
I knew that some cultures have different beliefs when it came to treatments, the concept of
cultural humility was very new to me. After learning about it, I understood why it is an important
thing to have. Knowledge of cultural beliefs can help create the best health policies for certain
groups. It can also help to address issues associated with power and privilege.
Additionally, it was interesting to learn about some different beliefs that cultures had. I think
that cultural humility might bring more awareness to these things and help adapt healthcare
policies to accommodate and be mindful of these beliefs.
Just being more aware in general can also help bring light to other privileges and disparities
that could affect healthcare. For example, nearly double the percentage of African Americans are
uninsured compared to non-Hispanic Whites. In addition, those identifying with LGBTQ+ are
less likely to have health insurance and fill prescriptions, as well as being more likely to delay
care or be refused service. I think being more aware of these different privileges, disparities, and
cultures can help to create effective and more equal healthcare policies.
Meanwhile, it was quite eye-opening to see all the problems that Native Americans have with
healthcare. I knew that it was bad, but not to this extent. It was surprising to see that 30% of
homes in the Navajo Nation didn’t have running water, and 15,000 homes didn’t have electricity.
In modern society, it is easy to get these things, so I think the reason that the Navajo nation is in
this situation is due to negligence rather than lack of energy or facilities. I do wonder what
reason or justification was given out by a government official though. Given America’s history
with Native Americans, the country has a moral obligation to Native American communities in
providing basic services. But it seems as if the country has disregarded these communities, as
IHS hospitals don’t have some specialized services and there are even some transportation
limitations to facilities.
However, some issues aren’t necessarily due to negligence. The lack of transplant access for
Native Americans is due to the relatively small populations of Native Americans, which America
can’t do anything about. In addition, culturally competent care is not always available to these
communities, as not all HIS providers are Native, and there are big cultural differences between
tribes as well. Other than providing sponsored education with the hope of getting more Natives
as IHS providers, the country can’t do much else.
Despite this, I believe that this country can be doing a lot to help support facilities for these
communities. For starters, they can increase IHS funding to the level of other major healthcare
programs. This would help fund better or more healthcare facilities for Natives. I think that if we
start putting more attention and being culturally aware of Native Americans’ healthcare needs,
the HIS can improve and provide adequate care to these communities.