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California Must Take Action on Chronic Disease Among Children of Color.
Speak about racism, talk about the chronic diseases that significantly affect children of color. Statistics show that one in four children of color suffers from chronic conditions. These chronic conditions could be obesity, asthma, and depression, all of which can be prevented if these children had access to proper medical care.
In addition to that, children of color can die from these chronic illnesses. For instance, these children are three times more likely to die from asthma than their white counterparts. For many years, this has continued to maintain an upward trend in California, denying these children their ability to thrive and survive. For this reason, California must take action on chronic disease among children of color.
WHAT CALIFORNIA MUST DO TO PREVENT CHRONIC ILLNESSES AMONG CHILDREN OF COLOR
This trend of chronic diseases among children of color in California is threatening the existence of the next generation. Looking at the racial disparity in those diseases, it’s evident that racism plays a significant role in the reason there are fewer preventative measures to curb childhood chronic diseases amongst children of color. This further impacts the general health system.
In California, not enough laws on preventative measures are in place. If we must minimize chronic diseases among children of color and curb the racial disparity fuelling these long-term diseases, more preventative measures must be enacted. This means investing in chronic disease prevention and developing a strategy to address these inequalities and racial barriers.
Thankfully, Senator Susan Rubio has begun the process by sponsoring a groundbreaking Senate Bill 682 named “End Racial Inequalities in Children’s Health in California Initiative,” also known as EnRICH CA. This bill mainly prioritizes
the prevention of chronic diseases among children of color and hopes to achieve its aim by 2030.
Senate Bill 682, which will implement the initiative, outlines state agencies’ actionable steps to support those children of color living with chronic diseases by curbing racial disparities in the health system. The state agencies will have a clear directive from the legislature. It has definite targets and metrics which will ensure that the initiative is fully implemented.
That’s not all; the bill is accompanied by a budget of $11 million to offer three-year support for implementation and workers. This budget also covers the personal, lifelong effects of chronic conditions from childhood and systemic racial health disparity costs. Let’s explain what these lifelong effects mean. Due to chronic conditions, children in their childhood frequently visit the hospital, subsequently making them absent from school. This act impacts parental income, and they are left to bear the overwhelming costs of health care. Senate Bill 682 will take care of this and come up with an approach to improve savings.
CONCLUSION
We hope more initiatives like the EnRICH CA will be implemented to continue the fight against the racial disparity in the health system and improve the lives of black kids. Children and families of color suffering from chronic diseases are disproportionately affected by health disparities. With the EnRICH CA initiative, these disparities will be eliminated, and black kids can live a more prosperous and happier life in society.
References
https://www.childrennow.org/news/statement-health-equity-bill/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.calhealthreport.org/2021/05/12/california-must-takeaction-on-chronic-disease-among-children-of-color/amp/ https://californiahealthline.org/morning-briefing/friday-may-14-2021/ https://www.chcf.org/publication/2020-edition-quality-care-chronic-conditions/ https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/covid-19s-disproportionate-effects-children-color-willchallenge-next-generation
