In “‘Yeah, they suck. It’s like they don’t care about our health.’ Medical mistrust among Black women under community supervision in New York city,” Dawn Goddard-Eckrich, EdD, and her co-authors uncover rooted distrust in healthcare among women who are under community supervision like probation or parole. This lack of trust arises from factors that include encounters with medical professionals, perceived bias, and a lack of culturally sensitive care. The findings also shed light on how race, gender, and involvement in the criminal justice system impact the healthcare experiences of a group. These findings underscore the importance of tackling racism in healthcare settings and implementing targeted approaches such as sensitivity training for healthcare providers.
Using in-depth interviews with participants from the E-WORTH (Empowering African American Women on the Road to Health) study, which aimed to lower HIV and STI risks and enhance access to care for Black women with ties to the criminal justice system, the researchers on this study found that many participants felt disrespected, ignored, and not taken seriously by healthcare providers. These feelings lead them to be hesitant to seek help, which can result in worse health outcomes for this already-vulnerable group. By focusing on the experiences of women under community supervision, this study illuminates an overlooked aspect of healthcare inequality and emphasizes the necessity for tailored interventions and policy adjustments to tackle mistrust within this demographic.
The outcomes of this research have implications for healthcare providers, policymakers, and professionals within the justice field. By providing cultural competency training to healthcare professionals, enhancing communication between patients and practitioners, and establishing community driven health initiatives that foster trust, there is a real possibility to enhance health outcomes, diminish disparities, and improve the welfare of Black women under community supervision.
“The pandemic has brought to light the health inequalities, especially impacting marginalized groups, that exist throughout society. This research sheds light on the mistrust and bias that affect healthcare access and outcomes for Black women involved in the criminal justice system, and enriches the literature on health fairness and social equity. It is essential that our discoveries about the connections between race, gender, involvement in the criminal justice system, and access to healthcare shape funding priorities and drive the creation of sensitive healthcare practices, as well as helping tackle systemic racism and bias in healthcare settings,” said first author Goddard-Eckrich.
Dr. Goddard-Eckrich also just published another paper from the E-WORTH study, focusing on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The study found that participants in the E-WORTH intervention group had significantly higher odds of being aware of PrEP as a biomedical HIV prevention strategy and showed greater willingness to use PrEP than the control group that received only HIV testing. As with this paper on medical mistrust, these findings highlight the potential of culturally tailored interventions for Black women in CSPs, as well as the need for more robust strategies to improve access to healthcare and trust in healthcare systems in this vulnerable population.