Sandra Noel speaks on her experiences of being discriminated while in the work place

By: Jordan Curtis

Sandra Noel is a Jamaican immigrant whom moved, with her husband, to Fayetteville NC to work for a healthcare company. Due to the poverty levels in Jamaica, Noel did not have a good experience with the hospitals and clinics while living there; that was one of the reasons she became a nurse.   

Transcript:

            JC: Have you ever been discriminated against by a patient?

            SN: Yes.

            JC: And what happened?

            SN: Umm, a patient asked about the white nurse that worked the day before.

            JC: Oh wow, and what did you say?

            SN: She’s not here today, I’m working. I’m here to take care of you and I will do the best   I can

            JC: Are you aware of the high date rate in black woman compared to white women as far as cervical cancer and basic concerns they may come to the hospital for?

            SN: I know its growing. The death rate for black women have increased for pregnant women during their first trimester.

JC: Do you think it is related to race? Do you think that’s one of the components?

SN: That is one of the components I think, but it’s also income based, insurance -the lack of, poverty, and lack of knowledge.

            JC: Have you been aware of the many stories of black woman coming into the hospitals for care and their concerns being ignored?

SN: Of course, because like I said, they have no insurance, maybe who is assigned to take care of them and maybe how they look or present themselves.

JC: So, what are some of the differences between the medical system in Jamaica versus here?

SN: oh, the health system in Jamaica is whew, poverty, poverty is a big thing because they lack a lot of the necessary, umm, for example, an IV pump. They use the wire hangers to stick through the little opening of the bag. It’s just real poverty. The people who can afford it go to Miami. Those who don’t, don’t. My sister in-law, three years ago, found. A lump in her breast and by the time it was found it was too far gone. They did a lumpectomy, but the cost was so ridiculous, and she died. They sent her home with no pain meds or anything else.

JC: Has the racism or discrimination ever made you want to quit your job?

SN: Nope, you want to make your dollar and I want to make mine too. I know it’s there but no it doesn’t affect me that way.

JC: What advice would you give a person of color coming into the medical field.

SN: Just keep your eyes and your ears open. Dot your I’s and cross your T’s. Trust no one. Cover yourself and do your best.

The Current condition of the American health system is not inclusive. Hospitals are generally seen as a safe place, a place people go to get better, people automatically feel they can trust doctors and nurses and it’s a place people are not supposed to be turned away from. But, sometimes, for people of color, the hospital is the opposite of all of those things. People of color are sometimes discriminated against, not given the same quality of healthcare based of the assumption of who they are or what they maybe be able to offer. People of color also have the highest number in poverty rates. Because of this, those people usually have little to no healthcare, maybe no car, the lack of knowledge regarding health and the list goes on.

Lately, the media has been covering every aspect of the life of singer, songwriter and mentor, R.Kelly. The public’s interest in him sparked after Lifetime released the docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly. During each episode, different women tell of their traumatic experiences with the singer. All of the women have the same story about him; they met him as children and were told they were special and would be made into celebrities. Instead, they were raped, beaten, impregnated and more. The worst thing about the whole situation is that people knew of these things and turned their heads and there were people admitting to helping him with his obsession with underage girls.

Of course, when the woman had gotten enough courage to go to the police, the police did not believe them, they were paid off or the women were intimidated by someone sent by Kelly.

Black women being violated by men and being ignored is a pattern and sadly to say, it’s somewhat expected because it happens so much. This “pattern “ can be traced back to slavery when slave masters would rape their women slaves. They would be physically abused and expected to preform sexual acts for whom ever decided they wanted them. They were seen as property, no say over what happens to their bodies.It was even decided by a Mississippi judge that a slave woman could not refuse her master.

In today’s social climate, woman, especially woman of color, are wanting to break the cycle of being afraid to speak their truths when it comes to sexual abuse. The MeToo movement has helped woman whom didn’t have a voice be able to yell it to the mountain tops without fear. Men like R.Kelly are finally being prosecuted and are shown they are not above the law, regardless of their financial or social status.

Minorities of America do not have the privilege of receiving healthcare that is equivalent to that for the white people of America. People of color face racism and discrimination while navigating the health system.

This issue is complex; there are a number of differences between minorities of America and other groups, such as, the ability to pay, geographical variability, the treatment of patients given by the provider and more.

Minority Americans are more likely to have a bad healthcare experience due to the way they are treated by the healthcare providers. Studies done by Harvard University have shown those same minority Americans feel they would have been treated differently if they were white Americans.

When thinking of the minority group whom are treated badly by the healthcare system, most people are assuming African Americans, but Hispanics and Latinos are the most mistreated. This is due to the language barrier and the lack of accommodation to those people who may not fluently speak English. There is also the prejudice against Hispanics and Latinos that they are all illegal immigrants, especially during this time in America. Some medical providers will give them a quick fix just to get them to go away or blatantly refuse them service.

Because of the financial gap in America, this means minorities are the one whom are likely to have insurance. They would rather risk being uninsured because they could spend that money on something “more important.”Being that they are uninsured, there are operations, examinations or medications they may need but cannot receive it because they cannot pay for it themselves.

As our population is growing, it is becoming more diverse and it is important that we accommodate them, whether it is their lack of literacy, language or money. Everyone deserves to receive quality healthcare.