look better

More research is needed. Hardeman and Chantarat believe their study is the first to link overregulation to a higher risk of preterm birth. The recent paper calls for exploring what types of police interactions – if not all – affect health.

The Center for Anti-Racism Research in Health Equity at the University of Minnesota is seeking to fill that void.college established this research center February 2021, after civil unrest throughout Minneapolis. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota made a $5 million donation, which then-President and CEO Dr. Craig Summit called an investment to “promote health equity and remove the fabric and fabric of our society” racism in”.

Hardman, an associate professor at the University of Michigan, leads the center, which is laying the groundwork for research into structural racism in health care. Historically, clinicians have viewed race as a risk factor, Chantarat said. Anti-racism research argues that racism, not race, is the root cause of health inequalities.

in the New England Journal of Medicine article Regarding the role of the healthcare facility in closing policing-related disparities, Hardman wrote: “We believe that police brutality is a social determinant of health, even though it has not received enough attention from the public health community.” Violence conducts public health surveillance and provides additional funding for research to better understand the experiences and health needs of people facing police brutality.

Tackling nonviolent crime

Health systems can serve as an alternative public safety option and provide services that help prevent situations that could evolve into police encounters, such as drug use or mental health crises.

Healthcare facilities can deploy response teams for mental and behavioral health services that do not involve law enforcement officers. They can also work with violence prevention groups to better integrate into communities where tensions with police are preventing people from calling 911. By letting people choose who to contact in an emergency, healthcare entities can limit the number of people who might otherwise avoid the healthcare system.

Reclaim the Block’s Smith said preventive services such as needle exchange programs, safe drug use sites, housing support, doula and midwifery services and other community partnerships are also needed. These programs—and all others across the health care system—should be staffed by workers who represent the diversity of the community.

“There are many different ways we can reduce harm in the medical industry and in healthcare,” Smith said. “Healthcare has an innate ability not to punish but to really look at a person’s identity and treat them in all aspects of what they’ve been through, depending on their situation or circumstances.”

Other research shows that mistrust of police translates into mistrust in healthcareFor example, undocumented immigrants may not seek hospital care if the police are present for fear that the focus may shift from their medical needs to their legal status. Additionally, black patients may not trust white doctors because they have experienced racial violence in front of the police.

“As we saw with George Floyd, not only did he lose his life, but a good family suffered a lot. He suffered a lot, and we’re all devastated by it,” Parker said. “When something like this happens, you generally breach trust in the community, and it spreads to everything. Not just policing, but education and health care. Because you see this happening here, and this person’s life openly taken away.”

Another recent incident highlights why black residents of the region may find it difficult to trust the health care system and government services. In March, The Star Tribune published a photo depicting the deputy chief of the county emergency medical services agency and two paramedics employed by the local safety net health system, Hennepin Healthcare, blackface.