POVERTY AND HEALTHCARE by Taylor Alexandra Bennett

Did you know that the infant mortality rate is significantly higher for poor African Americans? In that in third world countries, such as Haiti and Liberia, the rate of death for infants far exceeds those in the poorest communities in the United States?

A few years ago, I had an opportunity to visit a neonatal intensive care unit with my mother. On that day, I saw several newborns literally fighting for their lives. Though I was emotional, one of the nurses told me that while their medical conditions were acute, the vast majority would survive. I’ve also visited inner city health clinics. I witnessed expecting mothers smoking cigarettes outside the clinic doors (I wondered if their children were born unhealthy, would they get the same neonatal treatment), an elder couple who was barely able to walk and a cattle-call operation where the concept of bedside manners did not exist.

This tale of two cities was intriguing and disturbing to me. The notion that affluence could buy life, or a longer or healthier life, seemed at odds with my core values. The more I studied, the more disturbed I became when I uncovered data that suggested that being born poor, and especially poor and black, was sufficient to determine whether you died or lived as an infant. How is something as fundamental as medical treatment, and by association life or the quality of life, based on socio-economic factors.

Of course, there is only one thing more unsettling than this dichotomy in the United States, and that’s the infant mortality rate in countries like Haiti and Liberia. Seemingly, their plight is far worse than ours. The statistical data demonstrates more infant deaths in these countries for childhood illnesses that are easily treatable if one is fortunate enough to be born in the U.S. In actuality, however, the fact that the U.S. has made tremendous advancements in medical science but simply refuse access to treatment based on ability to pay is perhaps most disturbing.

My college aspiration is not about a specific career or profession but rather an objective - to make healthcare truly universal not just in this country but the world. My aim is two-fold. First, to design a worldwide healthcare system where all have access to modern medicine. Second, to educate communities, at home and abroad, about preventative measures to avoid illnesses. Given my interest in science, I believe I can achieve my goal as a public health administrator, scientist, or medical doctor. In pursuing my goal, if I can effect change for one life, it will be well worth it.