Color of Care : A positive step for minorities
COVID. A time everyone remembers. It was a very bittersweet time. More time spent with family and no going to school. However, people became sick and jobs got cut. One perspective that not a lot of people take into consideration is the healthcare system.
Here at MSU, there is a class on campus who put on a showing of a documentary titled, “The Color of Care.” I had the pleasure of speaking with two juniors from the Health and Advocacy class, Alysha Krueger and Tufah Dahir. When I asked them to tell me about the documentary, I received a very well-thought response.
“The documentary focuses heavily on the health disparities that are already present in healthcare relating to race, gender, or nationality. It’s a lot of anecdotes related to how people were impacted and the loved ones they lost. It also shines light on the lessons that healthcare workers learned along the way,” Dahir says.
Krueger adds, “Healthcare is constantly getting better, constantly evolving. However, there were a lot of mistakes made during the pandemic, and it brings light to a lot of events in the healthcare system that should never take place again. It’s definitely a tearjerker.”
The two said how the process of creating this documentary took a lot of time and hardwork.
“It has taken us this entire semester to develop. Dr. Kramer has been a wonderful mentor teaching us about what goes into screenings and how to make them accessible for all,” Krueger says. “We will be able to take these skills into our future careers as public health majors”.
When asked about any important messages or underlying themes that can be analyzed in the film, both Dahir and Krueger shared very heartfelt messages. “Everyone needs healthcare, when it is seeked, it’s usually when someone is in their most vulnerable state. It’s really disheartening for people to not get quality of life care just because of the color of their skin, their nationality, or their sex,” said Dahir.
“To add on to Tufah, the most common response for minorities in the healthcare area is that they feel uncomfortable. They’d rather be dying at home because they know if they go into a hospital they won’t receive quality care. Healthcare does not seem like an option,” replied Krueger.
The special screening of the Color of Care documentary was shown on April 4th at 6pm. However, the girls believe that the screening will be a positive step in the right direction of equal healthcare for all. Awareness is being raised.
“People need to understand that healthcare is for everyone and it should not be uncomfortable to ask for it. COVID was definitely a struggle for the healthcare systems across the world, however, with information being spread to all walks of life, the system can improve”.
Header Photo: Dr. Henry Morris, pictured above, was one of the speakers at the screening of the documentary “The Color of Care.” (Phedias Pierides/The Reporter)
Write to Jade Jackson at jadelyn.jackson@mnsu.edu