Impacts of Violence, Poverty and HIV Infection on African American Transgender Females - Essay Sample

Introduction

One of the downstream impacts of violence involves the chronic stress linked with living in an unsafe society(Baciu et al., 2017). Most fundamentally, poverty is one of the main characteristics that predisposes several transgender females to involve in sex-related activities that place them at an elevated risk for abuse, violence and HIV (human Immunodeficiency Virus) where the African American population is disproportionately affected (Reisner, Bailey&Sevelius, 2014).

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One of the leading causes associated with the transmission of the HIV infection involves structural violence, particularly domestic conflicts among the socially disadvantaged populations, which contribute to augmented rates of HIV transmission based on partner mixing patterns (Pellowski, Kalichman, Matthews& Adler, 2013), along with detrimental effects associated with the accesses to fundamental health care. As such, this paper aims at offering a comprehensive review of the available literature concerning the impacts of structural violence on accessing health care services amongst the socially disadvantaged population particularly the African American individuals ailing from the HIV infection.

The Impact of HIV Infection on the African American Poor Persons Lacking Insurance

According to the research lead by Noonan, Velasco-Mondragon, and Wagner (2016)the available literature concerning the association between the impact of socially disadvantaged African Americans and access to care indicated that the USA's African American population (Blacks) receive minimal medical services, because of their insurance status along with minimal wages as well as racial bias. For, instance a previous study led by Jung, Lim, and Shi (2014) determined that the African American Population ailing from chronic conditions often do not have insurance covers and are subjected to receiving fewer medications compared to the insured individuals.

The effects of HIV on poor in the African American communities with no insurance include and not limited to stigma, discrimination, homophobia and fear. When it comes to stigma and discrimination, people living with HIV receive a lot of prejudice and abuse. Vulnerability increases as stigma and discrimination are evident because such people face violation of their rights. Mostly, violation of human rights manifests itself at the health care, at the families and the community at large, as well as at the work and education settings. Again, fear in individuals with HIV is always connected as the source of death as well as fearing to be termed and associated with behaviors that are not accepted in the society.

How Health Industry Is Dealing With the Disparity

To deal with the disparities experienced by the African Americans with HIV, the Black Church has been empowered. Due to its popularity within black American, the church is able to transform individuals through the wind range of engaging opportunities available. Though such engagements, an individual is able to grow and change the perceptions they have. For instance, stigmatization and discrimination among people living with HIV could be solved through engaging the Black Church. Secondly, the Health Ministry Committee has been developed. The American Cancer Society (ACS) established the committee in 2013. Their aim was to campaign for the consumptions of fruits by the African American groups for a health living. Individuals living with HIV need a healthy living for the medications to work effectively. The committee worked towards promoting healthy living as well as offering reminders about healthy living as well as influencing other departments to promote a healthy living.

Policies Hindering Equal Care

There are policies that are in place but cause inequality when it comes to accessing health care. For instance, although the Medicaid insurance for low-income Americans is seen as good thing, it has in one way or another negatively affected access to health care. For instance, the program was supported by the government something that was dismissed by the Supreme court in 2012. With the current US president supporting the ruling, many countries signed out of the program lowering the number of people accessing health care through the program. Undocumented immigrants are exposed to unequal health treatment because the program cannot accommodate them. Again, the program pays little salaries to health care providers thus any special treatment needed by patients is not available thus patients are turned away. Another policy in place affecting equal access to health care include cost sharing and private insurance. Many patients pay less premiums because they are limited to specific hospital to attend as well as the doctors to visit. Incase an individual would like to seek medical care away from the proposed hospitals and doctors, then, they pay from their pockets. This imposes a challenge to accessing care because it may seem as double payment. again, this will be hard for low income earners who cannot afford to double pay. In cases where the patients are supposed to cost share and the cost sharing amount increases, the patients will withdraw their frequent care access. With this, the hospitals will be dealing with the rich who are less price sensitive. For instance, despite US having a large cost-sharing partnership with the patients, they will the most highest health care expenditure.

Racism and Its Effect

Racism has played a big role to the disparities experienced by people living with HIV. For instance, in the United States, black people are affected with higher percentages compared to other groups of people from other countries. 43% of all the new infections of HIV came from the African Americans as per the data produced in 2017 (Jung, Lim, & Shi, 2014). A large population of about 468800 African Americans were infected with HIV as per 2015 with one out of seven not aware of their status. Within this ethnic group, the largest contributing portion was coming from men who have sex with fellow men.

HIV disparity among Africans has had some serious implications some of which are discussed below. This has led to poor development especially where the stability of the household is interfered with. The entire well being of the nation is affected by the interference within the family setup. In case a family depends on agriculture, and the family has a member affected with HIV then the issue of food security is threatened (Jung, Lim, & Shi, 2014). Members of the family will concentrate on providing medical attention to the patients rather than providing labor. This is especially where the affected is an adult.

Secondly, HIV affects the economic development within Africans in terms of labor and productivity (Jung, Lim, & Shi, 2014) . Companies working in areas with high rates of HIV infection encounter a lot of employees absenteeism as well as increased impaired function. It is a loss because companies had invested a lot in training the employees who cannot at that particular time provide the services. Companies incur more costs when it comes to training other employees as well as spending more resources due to increased employee benefits in terms of treating the patients as well as helping the family in times of death.

More effect is felt in the health sector where there is a lot of straining. African countries need to have health systems that are working to enhance the long term treatment of HIV. Workers in the health center migrate from one country to another seeking more payments thus creating a gap. Many of the African countries depend on the donors to provide equipment and other aid in the sector something that has remained a challenge for the longest time. Many of the resources needed in the health sector need to be provided by the government thus enhancing proper response.

Number of People Who Die per Year From HIV

According to statistics released by WHO, HIV is a global concern with more than 32 million lives claimed by it (WHO, 2019). A large number of people are living with HIV many of them not in a position to access care. Due to the gap, reduction of new HIV infection to 40000 will be missed unless some intensive action is taken. At the end of 2018, 770,000 people died from HIV and other 1.7 million people were newly infected (WHO, 2019).

Conclusion

Solutions to enhance prevention of HIV include and not limited to incorporating laws that support access to treatment as well as enhancing measures that will educate and support the communities and the individuals. These laws must implement strategies that will enhance prevention of the epidemic. For instance, in case HIV in one way is transmitted through sexual contact something that is private and somehow hard to monitor (Noonan, Velasco-Mondragon, & Wagner, 2016). The role of the government is to ensure that it gives measures that will prevent more transmission.Secondly, creation of ethical principles is crucial as they play a proactive role and reactive role. Proactive role enhances access to contraceptives and other vaccines available while the reactive role is enhanced through availing access to treatment. Such access include limited contact with the infected people without creating stigma and discrimination. Again, screening is crucial because it help know if an individual is infected or not. For instance, when an individual goes through early screening for HIV they are introduced to antiretroviral drugs thus suppressing the virus causing AIDS.

Reference

Baciu, A., Negussie, Y., Geller, A., Weinstein, J. N., & National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). The state of health disparities in the United States. In Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity. National Academies Press (US).

HIV/AIDS. World Health Organization. (2019). Retrieved from who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail.hiv-aids.

Jung, K., Lim, D., & Shi, Y. (2014). Racial-ethnic disparities in use of antidepressants in private coverage: implications for the Affordable Care Act. Psychiatric Services, 65(9), 1140-1146.

Noonan, A. S., Velasco-Mondragon, H. E., & Wagner, F. A. (2016). Improving the health of African Americans in the USA: an overdue opportunity for social justice. Public health reviews, 37(1), 12.

Pellowski, J. A., Kalichman, S. C., Matthews, K. A., & Adler, N. (2013). A pandemic of the poor: social disadvantage and the US HIV epidemic. American Psychologist, 68(4), 197.doi: 10.1037/a0032694

Reisner, S. L., Bailey, Z., &Sevelius, J. (2014). Racial/ethnic disparities in history of incarceration, experiences of victimization, and associated health indicators among transgender women in the US. Women & health, 54(8), 750-767.