Access to neurological care for minorities
E. J. Kenton
Division of Neurology, Lankenau Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
Minority groups comprise a major segment of the estimated more than 34
million Americans without insurance coverage and also the underinsured.
Neurologic disease and neurologic complications of the major causes of
morbidity and mortality affect minorities protracted by limited access to
health care. Hypertension, a major cause of stroke in the black population,
is just one example of the impact of accessibility to intervention in
central nervous system disease. Health statistics note the persisting gap
between minority groups and the nation's norms for life expectancy. Aging
America and particularly black elderly women, combined with the lagging
infant mortality among minority groups, demonstrate limited access issues
beyond economics, reflecting inner city mores, cultural barriers, and
communication delay limiting contact with the practicing neurologist.
Awareness of such access limitations to neurological care for minorities
demands the attention of the practicing neurologist and the neurological
societies.
