What's Stopping Latinx From Receiving Healthcare Services?

Edited by Catherine Verdeflor

Latinx are labelled as "[a]n underserved group because they are less likely to obtain regular health care services" (Lopez-Cevallos & Harvey, 2017, para. 6). Because of this, many Latinx are known to be unwilling to participate in such assistance. Why is that? The expensive costs? The facility's structure and regulations? The manners of the employees? To understand more about the Latinx community in the United States and their relationship with healthcare, we must explore implicit bias, traditional medicine, and the involvement of the group in the medical field.

Though medical students are trained to avoid allowing personal and patient upbringing to influence clinical decisions, this isn't always the case. In reality, physicians are extremely susceptible to "implicit bias," an automatic evaluation of how an individual is influenced by stereotypes. According to Cantu-Pawlik, "[uninsured] white male non-Latinos were 37% less likely to receive definitive treatment; [on the other hand, uninsured] Latino men were 66% less likely to receive definitive treatment” (2018, para. 16). Furthermore, Machado states that Latin[x] and other people of color receive better health outcomes with physicians of color (2014, para. 25). Unfortunately, this implicit bias directly affects a Latino's confianza — the trust and level of confidentiality and communication a Latinx can have with a physician (Machado, 2014, para. 20). Latinx take pride in medical facilities where physicians strive to form a connection with their patients. They learn more about the patients' lives and how their medical conditions affect them, thus establishing a respectful relationship between doctor and patient. However, in the average American health clinic or facility, Latinx often experience doctors rushing appointments and not forming relationships with them, causing Latinx to feel discomfort. The combination of racial prejudice and the lack of empathy and doctor-patient relationships experienced by Latinx has caused their overall dismiss of Western healthcare.

Machado states how "[a] 2013 Colorado survey found that 45 percent of Latin[x] rely on home remedies to avoid medical costs" (2014, para. 7). Many Latinx in the United States value traditional medicine over Western medicine. Amanda Machado, a freelance writer and employee of The Atlantic, described how traditional medicine impacted her life. She first discusses her grandmother, who owned a natural health store and made her medicine from herbal ingredients that Machado and her family would use when they became ill; these remedies included “orange juice and Echinacea pills” to cure colds and papaya to aid with digestive issues (Machado, 2014, para. 9). Machado continues to explain how she never used popular American products, like Nyquil and Pepto-Bismol, and, even today, she asks her family for traditional alternatives before considering American medication. While natural medicines are often inadequate, Latinx place more faith in them than Western medicine due to the familial ties of trust it has. Marisa Salcines, co-founder of Healthhispanicliving.com, stated that what works for your family or others in your community is more trusted, so when there’s health concerns, individuals may replace Western medical advice because they think, “'Oh well, my Tia told me about this tea you can drink'” (Machado, 2014, para. 11). The comfort in what you know and the reluctance to venture into Western medicine further severs Latinx's relationship with American healthcare and makes them view it as unnecessary and uncomfortable.

References:

Anzuoni, M. (n.d.). A patient care coordinator doing community outreach on Obamacare [Photograph]. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/05/why-many-latinos-dread-going-to-the-doctor/361547/

Cantu-Pawlik, S. (2018 November 29). The Scary Reason Latino Men Don’t Get The Best Prostate Cancer Treatment. Salud America! https://salud-america.org/the-scary-reason-latino-men-dont-get-the-best-prostate-cancer-treatment/

López-Cevallos, D. & Harvey, M. (2017 October 5). Young Latinos Experience Discrimination When Obtaining Health Care, Research Shows. Oregon State University. https://today.oregonstate.edu/archives/2015/oct/young-latinos-experience-discrimination-when-obtaining-health-care-research-shows

Machado, A. (2014 May 7). Why Many Latinos Dread Going to the Doctor. The Atlantic. www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/05/why-many-latinos-dread-going-to-the-doctor/361547/.