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Welcome to another episode of Mindful Medicine, the podcast that explores health and wellness through mindfulness and thoughtful discussion. In this episode, host Daniel Williams speaks with Amanda Jensen about a recent program she facilitated for MGMA employees on Black History Month and health equity. Jensen designed the session to provide education on these important topics and encourage learning directly from Black voices.
In this conversation, Jensen emphasizes the importance of maintaining an open and curious mindset when learning about issues like racial disparities in healthcare. Jensen also defines terms like health equity and discusses factors contributing to inequities faced by Black communities. Throughout, she stresses the need for ongoing education to improve patient care and outcomes. Finally, this insightful episode highlights the value of mindfulness and critical thinking when discussing complex social issues.
Key Takeaways:
- Health equity is defined as everyone having fair access to what they need to attain their best health, which requires examining social determinants of health like income, food access, housing, and providing appropriate support. Equality means everyone getting the same thing while equity means getting what you need.
- The importance of learning Black history from the direct experiences and perspectives of Black people, rather than solely relying on traditional history education which often leaves out much of Black history. This involves seeking out resources created by Black authors and listening to Black voices.
- Maintaining an open, curious mindset is important when learning about complex topics with preconceived notions, and to avoid bringing biases into discussions and form well-informed opinions.
Quotes:
"Black history is American history. So I really think that we should be learning about it all year, especially as so much of it is left out of traditional history, education." - Amanda Jensen
"Health equity requires the examination of social determinants of health and providing appropriate supports, so that people have what they need in order to access and experience safe healthcare." - Amanda Jensen
Resources:
- Black History For Real podcast
- CDC's Foundations of Health Equity training
- AMA's program on health equity champions
- "Legacy" by Dr. Uché Blackstock
MGMA Resources:
Music:
"Street Walk" by Paolo Pavan courtesy of Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC-SA
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Let us know if there's a topic you want us to cover or an expert you would like us to interview. Email us at dwilliams@mgma.com.
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