Overview: The California Black Health Network (CBHN) is launching a five-part webinar series, “Making the Healthcare System Work Better for You,” to engage Black Californians in advancing health equity. The webinars will focus on navigating the healthcare system and advocating for better policies. The CBHN aims to empower Black Californians to make informed decisions about their health and advocate for systemic change. The webinars are part of a larger initiative to improve health literacy and drive change locally.Breanna Reeves
Never miss a BVN beat. Stay up to speed on the latest BVN news.
The California Black Health Network (CBHN) continues to work toward engaging Black Californians in order to advance health equity by launching a five-part webinar series, “Making the Healthcare System Work Better for You.”Scheduled for Sept. 19, the third webinar in the series will focus on how individuals can better navigate the healthcare system. Participants will hear from Dr. Glenda F. Newell-Harris, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee appointee and YesCare Regional medical director.“I strongly believe that it’s incumbent upon us as individuals to really take ownership and be more proactive about our health and well-being as part of the equation, to really improve health outcomes and rewrite our health story,” said CBHN Executive Director Rhonda Smith.When Smith joined CBHN four years ago as the executive director, she started an initiative called Health4Life which sets out to improve the health literacy of Black Californians. As part of this initiative, for the past two years CBHN has hosted several educational webinars focused on health issues that disproportionately impact Black Californians such as diabetes, breast cancer and caregiving. These webinar series are part of a larger goal of igniting the Black Health Movement in California.In 2021, diabetes prevalence was two times higher among Black Californians compared to white Californians, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). A California Cancer Registry report examined data between 2009 and 2018, and found that Black/African American patients were diagnosed at late-stage disease for “all screen-detectable cancers” at a significantly higher rate than their white counterparts across all health insurance types.“The reason why we’re trying to ignite this Black Health Movement is because I believe we can’t wait for anyone to help save us or make our health story any different,” Smith said. CBHN webinars give participants tangible skills and important information they can use to improve their health.While CBHN hosted informative webinars, the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) commissioned “Listening to Black Californians,” a statewide survey of 3,325 Black Californians and their experiences with the healthcare system.As a grantee partner with CHCF, CBHN began working with the organization a year ago to launch the “Making the Healthcare System Work Better for You” initiative to help Black communities learn how to make the healthcare system work better for them.Previous webinars in the series focused on knowing patient rights and how to communicate with healthcare providers. In California, under Title 9 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 883, patients have the right to humane care, to be informed of the procedures for filing complaints, a right to religious freedom and practice, among others.“We know that racism isn’t going away anytime soon. How can we deal with that when we’re confronted with discrimination or being treated differently just because of who we look like or where we’re from or what people assume about us?” Smith asked. Results from the “Listening to Black Californians” survey found that more than one in four Black Californians avoids care as a result of concerns that they will be treated unfairly or with disrespect.According to Smith, if people are given the proper tools, knowledge, information and resources to help them be more empowered, then they will advocate for themselves and receive the health care they deserve.In addition to their mission of increasing health literacy among Black Californians, CBHN also aspires to help people learn more about advocacy and policies that will have a greater impact on their lives, and drive change locally. To effect change, it will take everyone to participate, to understand how to work with policymakers, with providers and with community partners, Smith explained.Black Californians can learn how to navigate through the healthcare system, advocate on behalf of themselves and make better decisions by tuning into the webinar series. The next webinar sessions will be hosted on Sept. 19, Oct. 24 and Nov. 21.As CBHN continues to engage and educate Black Californians on health equity, CBHN is focused on outreach, advocacy and advancing policies that will address issues on a systemic level to help improve access to care and effect change within the system.
Your Support is ActivismJoin us with action that supports the work we’ve done and will continue to do by becoming a member today.
Source: Black Voice News
