health disparities – Memphis Flyer

The Shelby County Tennessee Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated are maximizing their efforts to improve health and housing outcomes for residents in the city by hosting a Health and Housing Expo on Saturday, April 12.

“It’s our mission to reach as many as we can in our community to deal with all the different issues that are concerning our Black and brown individuals,” Lai Brooks, the chapter’s second vice president and chair of Program Planning and Development said. “Health is one of the main issues [in Memphis], and our housing economic crisis.”

Information from The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis showed that African Americans make up a majority of the city’s population. A large portion of these individuals have “chronic diseases” such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.

Along with chronic diseases, the institute found “mental health disparities” among Black residents to be “equally concerning” with systemic racism and other societal inequities further complicating the issues.

“Black Americans are less likely than our white counterparts to seek services for mental health,’ Brooks said. “We want to have those mental health providers there — available to talk about signs and symptoms of different mental health disorders. To be physically healthy, your mental health has to also be intact.”

Brooks said the expo will bring health care professionals to the community in an accessible way. Residents will see what health options are available for them whether they have insurance or not. Some resources include the Baptist Women’s Health Center mammography bus, blood pressure and glucose screenings, and HIV testing.

“It is quite important for us to bring those services and resources to the community to be able to show it is okay to tap into these resources,” Brooks said. “Some may not have health insurance and they’re thinking ‘oh I’m not going to be able to seek care,’ but there are free services out there that you can tap into to have wellbeing for your physical and mental health.”

Janet Bedford-Haynes, the chapter’s Economic Development chair, said the expo also seeks to address the city’s home ownership gap.

“It is a fact that the Black homeownership rate is significantly lower than that of white residents,” Bedford said.

She cited information from the U.S. Census Bureau that found a significant gap between Black and white homeownership.

“Our goal is to help bridge that wealth gap by providing resources, connecting the community to industry partners, and really advocating for home ownership in this area,” Bedford said. “It is so important we have representation. Having that representation creates a foundation of trust. Sometimes lack of information may prevent someone from seeking those needs when it comes to health or home ownership.”

Lenders will be available to talk about credit, finances, and the steps to homeownership in a relatable way. Bedford said the chapter hopes this will build confidence for Black residents seeking home ownership.

The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ed Rice Community Center located at 2935 North Watkins Street.

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing recently announced a $2.6 million grant renewal that will serve “rural and underserved communities.” This is a renewal of a federal grant that was initially awarded in 2019.

According to the university, the Advanced Nursing Education Workforce grant was renewed by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The grant will be awarded to 19 students in the following Doctor of Nursing practice programs:

Nurse Midwifery
Family Nurse Practitioner
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

“The goal of the four-year grant is to increase the number of nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives, to serve underserved populations, increase diversity in the workforce, and train providers to address health equity and social determinants of health,” said the university in a statement.

Information provided by the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) said “health equity is achieved when every person, regardless of race, income, education, gender, or other demographics, has access to what they need to be as healthy as possible.”

“The goal of health equity is to eliminate health disparities, such as higher rates of infant and maternal mortality, higher rates of chronic conditions, and lower life expectancy, that are prevalent for people of color and are not due to genetic predispositions,” said TJC.

Memphis and Shelby County have historically reported higher than average infant mortality rates. In 2022, the Flyer reported that while the Shelby County Health Department reported a 28 percent decrease from 2019 to 2020, the averages were still higher than the national average.

The grant also has “enhanced relationships with academic practice partners and rural clinics providing student experiences in rural and medically underserved areas; and provided telehealth training and supplies to rural areas.”

The Tennessee Department of Health considers Shelby County to be a partial county medically underserved area (MUA.)

Dr. Sarah Rhoads, a professor at UTHSC who is responsible for submitting the grant, said this funding will help students with tuition, books, fees, and travel to their partnering clinical sites. These sites include Regional One Health in Memphis, Java Medical Group, and Professional Care Services in West Tennessee. Students will also receive training in these clinics.

“The excellent thing about this program is we are going to develop close partnerships with institutions and ideally it will be a win-win for both,” said Rhoads. “We will make an impact on rural communities as well as underserved communities here in Memphis.”

Rhoads also said that, ideally, students who rotate in these rural health clinics and the “medically underserved areas in Memphis,” will work there when they graduate.