As the pandemic continues, Allina Health Aetna believes we need to find ways to safely coexist with Covid.
I'm Tom Lindquist and today I'm talking to Dr. Luu about social determinants of health in chronic care.
Let's talk about social determinants of health and their impact on patient populations.
Social determinants of health are the condition under which we live, work, learn, and play that can have an impact on our health.
I've been in a unique spot to work at a clinic where I've had the opportunity to work with a very diverse patient population from different socioeconomic and racioethnic backgrounds.
You know, when I talk to patients about their blood pressure, I sometimes try to think beyond, you know, instead prescribing or saying you should work on your diet, work on exercise, I try to think about well, what can make it easier for my patient to accomplish these things?
Where do they live?
Where do they buy their groceries?
And are they able to take walks every day?
What are their neighborhoods like?
And just to really think about all these other factors that really have a great role in impacting one's health.
How is this pandemic specifically impacting at-risk populations?
I really think this unfortunate reality of why certain patient populations are more affected is that it comes from systemic racism that is deep-rooted in our country's history.
I see many of my patients of color are currently serving as – are essential workers and frontline workers that may not have the resources to stay at home or be able to have access to healthcare as easily.
I think we're at the point where we need to start looking at, you know, not just why certain patient populations are dealing with certain chronic conditions but start looking and asking how can we reform structures that catalyze these health inequities.
So what are your takeaways for our viewers?
What I look forward to is just hearing my patients' stories every day on just how everyone is dealing with the pandemic.
And everyone is dealing with the pandemic differently.
But not only with Covid-19 pandemic but also the topic of systemic and structural racism and how everyone is processing that.
I think it's time for us to recognize systemic racism as a public health crisis and it's time for us to keep the dialogue open, keep it at the forefront and to address it head-on and not to shy away from that.
And I guess for me, as a young physician, moving on is that I'm going to try to find where I fit into all this and how can I help change the system ultimately.