Silent InfectionIn the midst of a pandemic, supplies are running short, and case numbers are increasing daily. Dr. Moore, an ER doctor, finds himself trapped between the hospital and his family. He questions the inequality in the system.
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Silent Infection
Topic: Unequal Access to Healthcare for People of Color
Directed by Mazarie R., Written by Natalia M. , Edited by Derrell C.
Starring Oscar L., Myla N., Brooklyn A., Sophie E., Jonathan MM.
Systemic racism has affected many racial and ethnic minorities during this pandemic, resulting in an increase of African Americans contracting COVID-19 and in fatality rates. Inequalities in cultural determinants of healthcare, especially during a pandemic, have increasingly placed minorities at risk. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), African Americans are nearly three times as likely to die from COVID than Whites. An article by the CommonWealth Foundation clearly stated, “The reasons are complex: people of color are more likely to be poor, work in industries that expose them to the virus, live in crowded spaces, and have chronic health conditions.” Unfortunately, CDC research shows that discrimination still exists in our modern-day systems, and contribute to people of color's economic factors. Without financial stability, minority groups are more likely to be uninsured than non-Hispanic whites and health outcomes will inevitably grow worse as society continues to promote systemic racism. Additionally, due to the systematic racism and how it traumatized millions of minorities (oppression), they may hesitate to seek care and avoid necessary medical attention. Along the lines of refusing healthcare, some providers make assumptions about their patient’s history/background based on stereotypes and immediately discard them. This form of racism was first instituted by Southern Jim Crow Laws which pushed for separate but “equal policies” when in fact, they were forcing people of color into the worst neighborhoods, denying them loans, and even creating laws that regulated free speech. Though those laws were abolished, we can clearly recognize the effects on POC, and society’s current regulations. For instance, many African Americans are stuck in poor neighborhoods, jobs that require labor, and receive smaller wages while White communities are privileged with a safe environment and more wealthy opportunities. To briefly summarize, yes, racism is an active controversial problem many are still striving to solve.
In our dramatic film, we decided to focus on the story of a Black doctor working in the middle of a pandemic. Since the African American community has been hit the hardest by Covid-19, we honed in on making a situation where a family is struggling with the virus so, the main character's family is infected with the coronavirus. Many Black patients have reported feeling uncomfortable and unsafe. Using this information, we created dialogue and scenarios, that would express a character not being used to going to the doctor since it is not that common in their community. They don't go for reasons such as not having the money, thinking it’s a waste of time, and not having the available resources and knowledge of this virus. In this film, we see two perspectives: a person of color and a non-person of color, highlighting the differences in both communities that happen in real life. We see how this virus affects the doctor’s family. At the end of the story, there is not always a happy ending to both sides of the story. We wanted to show the difference and why healthcare inequity is important to learn.
Sources
Seervai, Shanoor. “Why Are More Black Americans Dying of COVID-19?” Commonwealth Fund, 26 June 2020, www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/podcast/2020/jun/why-are-more-black-americans-dying-covid-19.
CDC. “COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death by Race/Ethnicity.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nov. 30AD, 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/investigations-discovery/hospitalization-death-by-race-ethnicity.html.
Kambhampaty, Anna Purna, and Haruka Sakaguchi. “Asian Americans Share Experiences of Racism During COVID-19.” Time, Time, 25 June 2020, time.com/5858649/racism-coronavirus/.
Rothstein , Alexandra. “Asian-American Youth Struggling with COVID-19 and Racism.” Children's Minnesota, 10 Aug. 2020, www.childrensmn.org/2020/08/10/asian-american-youth-struggling-covid-19-racism/.
Croucher, Stephen M., et al. “Prejudice Toward Asian Americans in the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Effects of Social Media Use in the United States.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 22 May 2020, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00039/full.
Cho, Miranda. “Normalized Racism Toward the Asian Community.” The Quinnipiac Chronicle, 8 Aug. 2020, quchronicle.com/70592/opinion/normalized-racism-toward-the-asian-community/.
In our dramatic film, we decided to focus on the story of a Black doctor working in the middle of a pandemic. Since the African American community has been hit the hardest by Covid-19, we honed in on making a situation where a family is struggling with the virus so, the main character's family is infected with the coronavirus. Many Black patients have reported feeling uncomfortable and unsafe. Using this information, we created dialogue and scenarios, that would express a character not being used to going to the doctor since it is not that common in their community. They don't go for reasons such as not having the money, thinking it’s a waste of time, and not having the available resources and knowledge of this virus. In this film, we see two perspectives: a person of color and a non-person of color, highlighting the differences in both communities that happen in real life. We see how this virus affects the doctor’s family. At the end of the story, there is not always a happy ending to both sides of the story. We wanted to show the difference and why healthcare inequity is important to learn.
Sources
Seervai, Shanoor. “Why Are More Black Americans Dying of COVID-19?” Commonwealth Fund, 26 June 2020, www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/podcast/2020/jun/why-are-more-black-americans-dying-covid-19.
CDC. “COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death by Race/Ethnicity.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nov. 30AD, 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/investigations-discovery/hospitalization-death-by-race-ethnicity.html.
Kambhampaty, Anna Purna, and Haruka Sakaguchi. “Asian Americans Share Experiences of Racism During COVID-19.” Time, Time, 25 June 2020, time.com/5858649/racism-coronavirus/.
Rothstein , Alexandra. “Asian-American Youth Struggling with COVID-19 and Racism.” Children's Minnesota, 10 Aug. 2020, www.childrensmn.org/2020/08/10/asian-american-youth-struggling-covid-19-racism/.
Croucher, Stephen M., et al. “Prejudice Toward Asian Americans in the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Effects of Social Media Use in the United States.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 22 May 2020, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00039/full.
Cho, Miranda. “Normalized Racism Toward the Asian Community.” The Quinnipiac Chronicle, 8 Aug. 2020, quchronicle.com/70592/opinion/normalized-racism-toward-the-asian-community/.
