BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Government agencies and community advocates met on Wednesday, April 12 to hold a listening panel. The purpose of the panel was to encourage conversations about and find solutions for the apparent healthcare inequities facing Black people and other communities of color.
According to the California Health Care Foundation, 31 percent of African Americans admit to being treated poorly by a healthcare provider based on their race or ethnicity.
Statistics like this encouraged Kern Behavioral Health and Recovery Services and Kern Health Systems to come together and create a safe space for people to talk about their concerns, share their experiences, and discuss what they believe needs to be done about it.
Associate Vice Chancellor for the Kern Community College District Jessica Grimes addresses the barriers she says Black people face when they seek medical help.
"Accessing health care is sometimes a leap of faith and fear and that's something that cannot necessarily be eliminated just with education," said Grimes. "There's relationship-building that I think is very, very important."
Grimes says that to build those relationships, there needs to be a sincere and sustainable effort to make connections with the community.
Chief Health Equity Officer for Kern Health Systems Traco Matthews agrees.
"If you want to build and strengthen trust with different communities and the health care systems, you have to talk to them. You have to understand where they're coming from, what their experiences are like, and that's the power in conversations," said Matthews. "Really just taking time to listen."
Matthews adds that once an understanding has been reached, it's much easier to come up with solutions that work for everyone involved.
This was just one of the many topics touched on at Wednesday's listening panel. Panelists spoke not only of their own experiences with medical professionals, but also about ways to benefit the different communities of care, including youths, seniors, and LGBTQIA+ people.
Director of Public Relations and Business Development for Centric Health Michael Bowers touched on the fact that many Black communities simply lack the resources other groups have, which can lead to a disconnect between Black people and medical professionals.
"I would love to go to some of the churches and look in the back and say, 'Hey, there is a dental clinic in your community. There's a vision clinic in your community. These things are coming up,' and I think that's going to be important to move the needle," said Bowers.
Kern Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Director Stacy Kuwahara says the panel was an opportunity to get community leaders and healthcare providers to begin thinking about and implementing ways to bridge the accessibility gap.
"We're really hoping that as a result of today, we've got some clear, actionable things that we're gonna take from this conversation and carry forward in a meaningful way," said Kuwahara.
Other community organizations were also at the table, including the Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce, the African American Network of Kern County, and Upside Academy.
Natesha Johnson, the owner of Upside Academy, spoke about the issues surrounding communication barriers between Black people and medical providers.
"We all talk differently. Our experiences are different. We're raised differently, so I may communicate differently, but it shouldn't undercut the service of care I get," said Johnson.
Johnson went on to add that one of the first steps towards improved communication of medical needs is to increase cultural competencies so people are speaking with one another instead of across one another.
Organizers of Wednesday's listening panel say this is the first of many, and they hope to conduct more panels like this to address the Hispanic community, as well as other marginalized communities.
