What the Health? Q&A with the new Chair of Population Health, Aaron Hopkins
What is “Population Health” and why is It relevant?
“Population health” in short is defined as "the distribution of health outcomes for a group of individuals. In essence it is focused on the goal of providing equal health care awareness, delivery, and opportunities to a specific group of people in a particular location. I feel it is important because it's trying to look at and address one's overall health status and what it means to be and stay healthy from a holistic standpoint and at a group level as opposed to just focusing on the individual. “Your zip code matters more than your genetic code” is a saying heard often in the field and seeing as how a lot of our members may live in similar areas we want to make sure we’re empowering them to be aware of what goes into them being “healthy” from a collective standpoint.
What are some things NYC can expect this year from the new Chair of Population Health?
This is the first year Morehouse NYC Alumni Association will have and will be the only Morehouse Alumni Chapter that has a board role exclusively focused on the health of our members and for the community in which we live. Big shoutout to Rob for having the vision and identifying the need. Personally I feel it is perfect timing given everything going on surrounding the novel coronavirus in NYC and how its disproportionality affecting African Americans. This is due not only to some of our underlying health conditions but also our general reluctance to seek care and how we are sometimes perceived and treated in healthcare spaces. Some key initiatives we will try to provide during my time here will really be focused on Awareness, De-stigmatization, & Access to better improve our health.
Awareness in the sense of having members and the community at large understand what constitutes one’s health. How income, education, genetics, and other determinants, determine your health status. De-stigmatization in reference to mental health how it’s a growing issue specifically in NYC and how it is still stigmatized in African American Communities. Lastly access from the standpoint of being able to provide resources and insights regarding not only when to seek care, but also where to go for care so that it can be beneficial from a quality standpoint at the lowest cost possible to members.
Can you speak on your thoughts regarding Behavioral/Mental Health?
1 in 5 New Yorkers has a mental health disorder. African Americans in particular are more likely to express psychological disorders yet are more reluctant than other races to utilize mental health resources and therapy. The 2012 National Healthcare Disparities Report reported that between the years of 2005-2010 African American adolescents and adults were less likely to receive treatment for depression than White adults and adolescents. Only 8.6% of African Americans utilize any type of mental health service in contrast to 16.6% of Caucasians, according to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) “Racial/Ethnic Differences in Mental Health Service” report. This is ironic seeing as how we can benefit from it most due to our lack of access and utilization of medical services, and the prejudice, and racism inherent in our daily environment.
My Grandmother had mental health issues and back in those times it wasn’t something that was discussed, let alone taken seriously in the African American community. Finally, I think we’re getting to a point where not only is funding being allocated toward behavioral health services but that it is something that can be talked about, addressed and properly treated. I have a lot of friends who regularly participate in therapy and they RAVE about how helpful it is and how it works wonders for every aspect of their life. I myself am a big proponent of taking a “Mental Health Day” and I honestly think its something that companies should implement for all employees. One of the key things we’ll try to do at MMAA is work with an organization such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness(NAMI) to help reduce the stigma around mental health, provide resources to members and even provide strategies and suggestions to deal with feelings of anxiety, depression, etc while also providing options for members and the community to seek therapy, preferably from and for people who look like us.
What are some of the biggest trends & topics currently in Healthcare? And can you touch on one?
Some of the biggest trends currently in healthcare are:
Emergency Preparedness(Keeping people safe before, during and after an emergency or disaster)
Telemedicine/Telehealth(Virtual visits or “Facetime with your Doctor”)
Price Transparency(Consumers can shop and compare hospital services by price)
I think the novel coronavirus will have a long-lasting effect on all 3 of these topics in particular and will alter how we deliver care and prepare for pandemics in the future. From an emergency preparedness standpoint Covid-19 really brought to light how unprepared we were as an industry to deal with an emergency of this magnitude. Our essential workers and front line staff members really have risen to the occasion and should be celebrated as heroes, however, the outbreak really highlighted a lot of gaps in our processes and may have diminished some of the confidence citizens have regarding our healthcare delivery system. While there’s no excuse for workers not having PPE, testing not being readily available, and patients not having places to go. I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned here that can be applied in the future in case we see something like this again in our lifetime and I trust that we will be more prepared to meet the challenge head-on.
When should someone seek out health services and where should they go?
“Health services” is generally a very broad term. I absolutely recommended annual check-ups and wellness visits dental visits every 6 months, and sexual health testing on a 3-6 month basis. In terms of seeking care for other issues this is a topic that gets brought up a lot and I think there’s no “one size fits all” answer as it depends on the person and how there are feeling. Interestingly enough, I once demanded to be taken to the Emergency Department when I was younger because I couldn’t breathe after being outside and thought I was dying when really my allergies were acting up lol.
So I say that to say don’t go to the emergency department or the hospital unless you absolutely need too. I would suggest going to a “primary care or doctor office” first if its not an emergency, and then for something a little more serious checking out an “Urgent Care Center” if the issue is more pressing. CityMD has over 75 locations in NYC and most hospital systems Mount Sinai, in particular, has an “ExpressCare” with extended hours where patients can walk in and be seen almost immediately. Also looking on these organizations’ websites to see what services are provided to gauge where you should go first. Going to the ED for something that can be handled at an Urgent Care center or Doctors office will take much longer(I spent 3 hours in the ED before being told to just take allergy medicine lol), be much more expensive than other visits, and takes away from those actually needing acute services. However, please don’t hesitate to go there first if you feel its an emergency and that your health and life may be at risk.
by:
Aaron Hopkins
BS Biology; Morehouse College ‘16
MSHA; University of Michigan ‘18