JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A recent proposal to increase funding for medical research and detection of illnesses that disproportionately impact African Americans is sparking discussions about health concerns in the Black community.
Although it’s election season, health concerns involving communities of color have been around for a long time and will persist after the November elections.
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Medical conditions like diabetes, sickle cell anemia, prostate cancer, and mental health disproportionately affect blacks and Hispanics. Medical experts say the impacts are caused by both genetics and social economics.
Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris proposed a plan to increase funding for medical research into those illnesses. After the plan was proposed, News4JAX spoke with folks inside the Kutz, Linez, and Trimz Barbershop on Moncrief Road, one of the lowest-income areas of Jacksonville that is predominantly Black.
“Most men, black men do not go to the doctor anyway. With this help, maybe it can encourage them to go and be treated, checked out, and find out in advance, and through medication, it can lower it down or take care of it,” Julius Robertson said, who had just finished getting his haircut.
“Come on. Everybody in our race is dealing with somebody in the family with high blood pressure and diabetes. They’re all connected,” Bruce Sanders said.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), diabetes can impact anyone, but Black and Hispanic communities are disproportionately affected by the disease because of social economics.
Also, according to the ADA, many black and Hispanic communities lack diabetes awareness, education, and community resources. ADA data says the risk of being diagnosed with diabetes is 50% higher in African Americans and Hispanics. The same data also says the risk of diabetes is three times higher in people who earn less than $80,000.
Harris’s proposal is personal for barbershop owner Cedric Turner because his daughter suffers from sickle cell anemia. It’s a blood disorder that causes painful blockages in blood vessels. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every 13 African American babies is born with the sickle cell gene that they inherited from a parent.
“It takes a real strong person to endure the pain and to deal with the disease because it’s a life-long disease that you are born with. Anything that can help anybody who has any type of condition is worth every penny and every cent they put into it,” Turner said.
Dr. Michael Koren is the director of the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research. He told News4JAX that any additional funding for medical research and better detection of illnesses has the potential to save many lives or at least help improve the quality of life for many people.
“You never know how this is going to help all people. So, while politically, it may be focused on the African American community, more broadly, I think it’s going to help all people,” Koren said.
As for the open and honest conversation inside the Cutz, Linez, and Trimz Barbershop, Sanders said that although the proposal comes from a candidate who is running for the Oval Office, health concerns should never be about politics.
“It doesn’t matter who the president is. It doesn’t matter. When it comes to your health, I feel like that should be number one,” Sanders said.