We finally had our first lectures today!! I was overjoyed to find that the topics were incredibly interesting and lecturers knowledgeable and passionate about their topics. I was secretly proud of our group, who asked a ton of questions and seemed truly engaged in the content we were absorbing.
Familiarity seems to be a theme that has followed me on this trip so far. I came here so focused on observing the differences between the US and UK that when we were assigned the prompt “same same different”, I had to take a step back and deeply reflect for a moment. What could be similar about our systems? The UK has the complex NHS and CCG system, GP control of healthcare interventions, and government funded public health systems to specifically support kids in the school system with educational needs and disabilities. Meanwhile, healthcare in the United States is largely privatized and many services force people to pay out of pocket. So what possible common ground could be found?
The most sobering examples of similarities were those pertaining to health disparities. During our lecture from Lisa about midwifery, she revealed that in the UK, Asian women and low-income women are twice as likely to die as white women during pregnancy, and Black women are four times as likely. These statistics were eerily similar to the problems we have in the United States. Internalized bias, inequity, and disparities prevail in both countries, and the action being taken against it is vague at best. For this specific case, Midwives are going out into communities to educate patients on their rights and opportunities for care. While this seems like a good fix, it is flawed. How many midwives are being sent out? Is this regulated or based on the whims of each person? How can we identify the areas in which patients are the most vulnerable? And while the sentiment is in the right place, focusing only on educating and nothing else implies that the disparities arise from the patients themselves rather than an internalized bias plaguing the country.
On a more positive note, after hearing all of the professionals speak, I quickly found common ground between them and the healthcare professionals I already know. Every last one of them cares deeply about the work that they do and to quote Nikki, “we all want the same outcomes,”. Between hospital systems, job titles, and school systems, we all ultimately want to see the world improve through the work we intend to do.
