Lack of Resources in Black communities
The issue of concern is the lack of resources in black communities. AlabamaAppleseed.org (n.d.) reports that the black community in Alabama has limited access to resources such as healthcare, quality education, and infrastructure. According to Hirschfield (2019), various factors impede the black community’s ability to access resources in Alabama. To begin with, a culture of racism and white supremacy has limited the ability of the black community to access resources such as healthcare services (AlabamaAppleseed.org, (n.d.); Hirschfield, (2019). For instance, discrimination exists in the healthcare setting where blacks cannot access quality holistic care. Also, limited access to healthcare is attributed to the fact that Alabama failed to leverage the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicaid coverage. AlabamaAppleseed.org (n.d.) reports that Alabama laws are enforced disproportionately to harm and incarcerate the black community and deprive their monetary and other resources.
Sociopolitical Forces
Various socio-political factors perpetuate the problem. Firstly, NAEH (2021) reports that African Americans rank second as the ethnic group likely to experience poverty. It is estimated that 21 percent of this population lives below the poverty threshold (NAEH, 2021). This limits access to healthcare, quality education, nutrition, and infrastructure. For example, it is estimated that whites’ average household income was higher by more than $30,000 compared to blacks’ income (NAEH, 2021). Hirschfield (2019) reported similar findings, which indicate that blacks in Alabama have limited economic opportunities and lack permanent employment. As such, AlabamaAppleseed.org (n.d.) reports that this state is among the poorest in the USA. Secondly, Alabama laws are disproportionately enforced to harm and incarcerate the black community and deprive them of their monetary and other resources AlabamaAppleseed.org (n.d.). Thirdly, the state failed to expand Medicaid services. This limited access to healthcare services.
Effects on the Health Care of this Community/Population
The issue has impacted the health of the community. Lack of resources has limited access to quality healthcare services. Alabamapublichealth.gov (n.d.) reports that about 7 percent of African-American males are likely to develop mental health problems such as depression in their lifetime. However, the conditions remain untreated due to limited access to mental health services. Limited education has contributed to poor health literacy among African Americans. They are less likely to seek timely medical interventions. As such, they have poor outcomes and high morbidity rates (Hirschfield, 2019).
Government Official and Interview Data
The New York Times interviewed Representative Merika Coleman in 2021. She represents District 19 in the Senate. Ballotpedia.org (n.d.) reports that her email address is merika.coleman@alsenate.gov, whereas her phone contact is 334-261-0589. Her stance on the issue is that equity should be upheld to enable the black community to access adequate resources. According to the interview, Merika Coleman aimed to eliminate racist language from the constitutions of Alabama (Mzezewa, 2021). The amendment aimed to improve access to education and optimize voting rights and interrelations among whites and blacks in Alabama (Mzezewa, 2021). According to Merika Coleman, eliminating racist language would catalyze discussions about Alabama’s laws that disproportionately impact the black community (Mzezewa, 2021). According to her, this will enable blacks to access various resources easily.
Evidence and Remedy
Various strategies should be adopted to solve the problem. Firstly, non-discriminatory laws and policies should be formulated (Beech et al., 2021). These policies will reduce the high incidences of incarceration among black communities and enable them to access education and employment opportunities. Furthermore, non-discriminatory policies will allow equal allocation of resources and the development of infrastructure, such as healthcare facilities and roads, in black communities (Beech et al., 2021). Secondly, states should embrace the Affordable Care Act to enable the black community to access cost-effective healthcare services (Hirschfield, 2019). Thirdly, the local, state, and national governments should collaborate to avail comprehensive community resources (Beech et al., 2021). For instance, community resources that provide mental health services will allow timely access to care.
References
AlabamaAppleseed.org. (n.d.). Racial Justice. https://alabamaappleseed.org/racial-justice/#toggle-id-5
Alabamapublichealth.gov. (n.d.). Mental Health in the State of Alabama for African American Men. https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/alphtn/assets/042110bjohnson.pdf
Ballotpedia.org. (n.d.). Merika Coleman. https://ballotpedia.org/Merika_Coleman
Beech, B. M., Ford, C., Thorpe, R. J., Bruce, M. A., & Norris, K. C. (2021). Poverty, Racism, and the Public Health Crisis in America. Frontiers in Public Health, 9(September), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.699049
Hirschfield, J. (2019). Soil to Struggle: A Qualitative Study of Health in Alabama’s Black Belt. http://www.hhpronline.org/articles/2019/11/21/soil-to-struggle-a-qualitative-study-of-health-in-alabamas-black-belt
Mzezewa, T. (2021). Alabama Begins Removing Racist Language From Its Constitution. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/19/us/alabama-constitution-racist.html
NAEH. (2021). Homelessness and Black History: Poverty and Income. https://endhomelessness.org/blog/homelessness-and-black-history-poverty-and-income/
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Question 
Lack of Resources in Black communities
The purpose of this project is to make it personable….
1. to analyze a national or regional healthcare issue from a socio-political perspective, interview a government official and propose an evidence-based remedy for the issue. If you cannot interview, you may research an interview or previous statements from a government official, national, regional, or local in Alabama on your chosen topic and reference this in that particular section of your paper.
2. include the official’s name in the statements correlating to your topic, reference them appropriately, and list the individual’s contact information. Since you are taking the information from a resource, you must include it on your reference list.
Process Individually:
1. Research and review the history of this issue and how it came about.
2. Analyze the socio-political forces that played a role in the development and the perpetuation or abating of this issue.
3. Analyze the effects of this issue on the health care of a particular community or region.
4. Interview a government official (national, regional, or local) whose constituents live in the affected community. Get his/her stance on the issue. Detail any activity the official has taken on the issue.
5. Propose a remedy for the issue. The remedy should be detailed, specific, and evidence-based. Write a professional paper resulting from this activity.