Mindful Medicine: Cultivating an Open Mind When Discussing Racial Disparities in Healthcare

Welcome to another episode of Mindful Medicine, the podcast that explores health and wellness through mindfulness and thoughtful discussion. On today's episode, host Daniel Williams speaks with Amanda Jensen about a recent program she facilitated for MGMA employees on Black History Month and health equity. Amanda designed the session to provide education on these important topics and encourage learning directly from Black voices.

Summary:

In this conversation, Jensen provides context around the program she developed for MGMA employees and shares key insights. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining an open and curious mindset when learning about issues like racial disparities in healthcare. Participants discussed articles on Black maternal health mortality in small groups. Jensen also defines important 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. This insightful episode highlights the value of mindfulness and critical thinking when discussing complex social issues.

Key Takeaways:

- Differences between equality and equity in healthcare

- Social determinants that impact health inequities

- Lack of doctor/nurse training contributing to inequities

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 (https://wondery.com/links/black-history-for-real/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAivGuBhBEEiwAWiFmYbiZ9lf0SRx9I4z5P901gUz9qfk9lGTYqrRP4uqCNBBVGXWjzNTY3RoCpssQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)

- CDC's Foundations of Health Equity training (https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/training/index.html)

- AMA's program on health equity champions (https://www.ama-assn.org/education/improve-gme/give-resident-physicians-know-how-advance-health-equity#:~:text=The%20course%20is%20part%20of,for%20residents%20on%20the%20go.)

- Book "Legacy" by Dr. Uché Blackstock (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705871/legacy-by-uche-blackstock-md/)

MGMA Resources:

MGMA Stat: mgma.com/stat

Ask an Advisor: www.mgma.com/ask-an-advisor

MGMA Membership: www.mgma.com/membership

MGMA Advocacy: www.mgma.com/advocacy

MGMA Consulting: www.mgma.com/consulting/overview

Music: "Street Walk" by Paolo Pavan courtesy of Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC-SA

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