November 7, 1985 ||
Page A5 II
Misconceptit
The author is a local physician.
Despite attempts to the contrary,
health care has persisted
through the ages not as a right,
but a privilege.
Nowhere has this sad truth
revealed itself more than in the
black and minority communities.
Even with improvement* th*
, V??W
health status of the black com"One
white physician exists j
while, by contrast, there is o
every 4t100 black persons!"
munity remains in a dismal state.
In comparison with his white
counterpart, a black person still
is:
more likely to die in infancy
more likely to lose his mother
during childbirth
less likely to go to the hospital
when taken ill
less likely to be covered by
?Winston-Sale
An independent, local
NEWSROOM: Robin Barksd*
editor; Karen Hannon, typist
copy editor; Carl Williams.
SPORTS: David Bulla, sports
PHOTOORAPHY: James Par
Blue, Joe Daniels.
ADVERTISING: Julie Perry, <
Art Blue, Davita McFarland.
OFFICE STAFF: Barbara Mill!
Verisia West.
PRODUCTION: Vinson Dewt
manager; Tim Butner, Miche
Truhon.
CIRCULATION: Veronica Gu
Frank McCants, Blandelia M
RICK
A
^kIH
I
HE FORUE
>ns about hea
WE GUEST COLUMN
By DR. WILLARD McCLO
private insurance companies
likely to stay more than two
days longer when he does go to
the hospital
likely to be confined to bed
longer and to lose more time
from work when he gets sick
for every 538 white persons,
n/y one black physician for
more likely to die from eight
of the 10 leading causes of death
and likely to die sue years
younger than his white counterpart.
Many factors have contributed
to this distressing state of affairs
(e.g., lack of information and access
to care.) Critical, however, is
the inadequate number of black
m Chronicle
}ly owned newspaper
lie, community news
; Yvonne Bichsel Truhon,
? editor.
ker, photo editor; Art
advertising manager;
s, Fernice Wardlaw,
Derry, production
tal Lyles, Yvonne Bichsel
lions, Harry McCants,
IcMoore, Angela Ross.
I
AMME
\
Entf ""I
mu^ Jm mmt Tm
Wf^^wZW'' ifB3fciii.itfB
."'5 "' ' ' *
1
k
vc?
mk More opinions,
fm columns and features.
lth care
UD JR.
health care, providers. The
percentage of blacks in U.S.
medical schools has declined for
the eighth straight year in spite of
record increases in the total
medical school enrollment.
One white physician exists for
pVfrV ^8 ... u _
? j -*T iniv pviavjii^, w 1111c,
by contrast, there is only one
black physician for every 4,100
black persons!
Political, social and economic
aspects of the delivery of health
care have become so intermingled
that it is now impossible to
separate them from the actual
medical, technical or scientific
aspects of the practice of
medicine.
It is the above information that
will not allow me to let stand the
information found in an article
by the Better Business Bureau in
the Oct. 10 issue of the Chronicle
entitled "Selecting a physician:
Don't mentioi
To The Editor:
Robin Adams is a fine journalist
who has added much to the
excellence of the Winston-Salem
Chronicle and its primary
coverage of the black community.
She is fair-minded, quickwitted
and personally equipped
as a capable, conscientious, hardworking
professional. However,
the ending to her recent article on
her trip to Lynchburg, Va., to see
the head of Thomas Road Baptist
Church (Jerry Falwell) contained
7ENISE
:
Ability isn't the only criterion." I
must say that I agreed with the
opening paragraph 100 percent
which stated that, while the
primary criteria for selecting a
physician should be his or her
lecnmcai skills, capabilities and
training, other important factors
such as the doctor's accessibility,
temperament and ability to communicate
with the patient also
7 Falwell and j
CHRONICLE MAILBAC
Our Readers Speak Out
a highly inappropriate, if not
downright dangerous, comment.
A remark was made to the effect
that shaking Falwell's hand
elicited a feeling similar in Ms.
Adams to shaking the hand of the
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson.
No doubt, the similarity of
engaging two men with some
training in Christian ministry
who now influence millions of
people worldwide (though of
pANKL"
PF* ./' *
' 4 ,,** ' ..^ jtiffi* %
j
j ^ | I
111
*
n
should be considered.
However, the rest of the article
was filled with errors and personal
opinions with which some
will agree and others will
disagree.
In responding to the above article,
I was torn as to answering
purely from the standpoint of being
a physician or a physician
who happens to be black.
Jackson in the
k
f
distinctly different constituencies)
is what struck Ms. Adams.
However, this lone similarity
does not eliminate the impropriety
of the comparison. First, the
comment was inappropriate,
because, even in an impressionistic
article, the subjectivity
of how a reporter feels when
shaking someone's hand strains
the bounds of journalistic
credibility.
If
WISE
*?\^^
However, when the Better
Business Bureau issues this kind
of article, some type of response
is warranted to correct the errors
and respond to certain points that
reek of elitism and personal opinion.
The article begins by stating
that there are doctors who
specialize and there are several
Please see page A13
cnrno hvnntU
LF?ffV?V l/f tiilll
Much more importantly is the
danger of believing, or even giving
a glimmer of the impression
that there's some substantive
similarity between Jerry Falwell
and Jesse Jackson.
Jackson grows out of the best
of the black American religious
heritage, which is biblically based
in the Exodus freedom event and
the social teaching of the prophets
and the holistic salvation of
Jesus the Christ.
Falwell grows out of the worst
of the white American religious
Please see page A14
ipM