President's Message | February 2021

Mar 2, 2021

Dear Colleagues - 

Happy February! As we celebrate Black History Month, I am reminded of the words of Rosa Parks who said, “To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has widened the inequality gap among ethnic minorities, especially African Americans. According to the CDC, minorities are disproportionately affected by lack of access to quality healthcare, health insurance, and/or linguistically and culturally responsive healthcare. A report by the Greater Access for Patients Partnership (GAPP) found that wait times in dermatology have increased by 46% since 2009! In urban areas such as Philadelphia, PA the average wait time for a dermatology appointment is 78 days, while in Cedar Rapids, IA you can anticipate waiting 92 days for an appointment! We can all agree that waiting upwards of three months for a dermatology appointment when you have a changing mole or flaring skin condition, etc. is unacceptable to say the least. 

What’s even more startling is that if you are a minority or unemployed, according to a study published by JAMA Internal medicine in 2015, you can anticipate waiting 25% longer to see a health care provider. Recognizing that this disparity exists is the first step to working towards a solution. 

As PAs, we are uniquely equipped to serve as a solution to the healthcare disparity crisis in our nation. Our profession was created to improve access to care. That’s exactly what each of us do in our daily clinical practice--improve access to timely, quality healthcare. I recently thought to myself, “What am I doing to improve the healthcare inequality crisis?” and immediately, I reassured myself by saying “I’m a PA, I’m already helping bridging the divide by my very profession.” And yes, that is true. But, when I dig deeper, I know I can be doing more. For starters, I’m committing to improving my cultural competency. Some of you may be surprised by that, considering--I’m a minority myself. I am humble to say that there is always more to learn and new ways to improve the care we provide. 

I hope you too will join me on this quest to lessen healthcare inequality in our nation. What that looks like for you in your season of life may be different than what it looks like for the dermatology PA down the street. Maybe you are able to volunteer at a free community clinic or perhaps you mentor a minority PA student, whatever it is--I challenge you to just start. Ask the hard questions and be gentle on yourself if you don’t like the answers. Let’s resolve to do better together. 

For all of you who are making great strides to lessen healthcare disparity in your communities, thank you! The SDPA would love to hear about your service, please email us at: EXoffice@dermpa.org. 

With you and for you,
 

Archana Sangha, MMS, PA-C
SDPA President