The University of Texas at Arlington鈥檚 aims to address health equity issues through education.
Erin Carlson, , said the COVID-19 pandemic put a renewed spotlight on racial disparities in care and access. Both Black and Latino patients were hospitalized and died from COVID-19 complications in Texas at higher rates than their white counterparts,
鈥淲hat I was seeing in the data was the unmet need of health care in our underserved and under-resourced communities,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淭hat had culminated in significant disparities with regard to severe COVID disease, hospitalization and death.鈥�
The program offers four courses, h. Carlson says it鈥檚 aimed at people who currently work in the health care field and students who want to focus their skills to 鈥渆liminate health disparities and improve health equity.鈥�
鈥淪o that鈥檚 something that I鈥檓 really happy about,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not only academic knowledge, it is truly the skills to actively affect positive change in their community.鈥�
Ariel Hall is a recent UT Arlington graduate and a community health worker. She says it鈥檚 essential that health care professionals practice cultural competency and cultural humility.
鈥淐ultural competency is recognizing that we鈥檙e all different, acknowledging that you are different than I am, and I understand that we don鈥檛 live the same life,鈥� Hall said. 鈥淐ultural humility, which was a new term for me, means you鈥檙e going to have a life-long commitment to actually learning about different people and what makes them unique.鈥�
It鈥檚 something she uses in her work, as she reaches out to community members and shares information about the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淚鈥檝e learned that it鈥檚 really important to listen to communities, listen to patients and work together with them so we can help improve their health,鈥� Hall said.
Both Carlson and Hall are hopeful the program will teach students how to identify and address health disparities with community input.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 treat everybody the exact same way, so I think this program will help people to learn how to be empathetic, and it鈥檒l treat them how to best serve everybody,鈥� Hall said.
Classes will be taught in the afternoon to accommodate working professionals, and Carlson envisions the program will 鈥渋mprove health equity in DFW and beyond.鈥�
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