The United States has an overall resident population of at least 300, 902,855 and counting, making it the third most populated country in the world (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). The United States is considered the land of milk and honey to some outsiders. It has prospered in the area of technology and medical advances (Zerwekh & Claborn, 2014). With all of the new improvements in technology and medication, the United States continues to struggle in certain areas of health care. According to Bernstein (2014), the U.S trailed behind most countries in regards to health outcomes, efficacy, and quality. Even though the quality of care is improving; issues regarding access to care and disparities are still unresolved. The purpose of this analysis is to define the term disparity, research the origin of disparities among African Americans and with mental illness as well as interventions that can decrease or eliminate disparities among this group.
The Concept …show more content…
Until recently, research on the delivery of mental health services did not consider race or ethnicity as a major factor. It was found that the use of expenditures for mental health services by Medicaid beneficiaries displayed marked differences between ethnic groups that raised concerns about potential disparities in mental health care among racial and ethnic minorities such as African Americans. In order to resolve the issue of ethical and racial disparity one must know and understand the origin of the problem in order to find a