Our team is researching Bosnian refugees and because there was no such person in our institution, we interviewed a healthcare worker in the town who has extensive experience with people from different ethnic groups. Given that we were not dealing with a Bosnian person, we did not go into details about some of the issues. However, at least we were able to obtain the following information.
First, we learnt that from a cultural basis, we enjoy more access to healthcare facilities than Bosnian refugees do. Although this may be attributed to their refugee status, it may as well be attributed to the cultural privileges that we enjoy and they do not enjoy (Coughlan and Judith 19). According to the healthcare worker that we interviewed, it is stereotyped that most white Americans have medical insurances whereas most immigrants do not have medical insurances. As a result, when Bosnian refugees go to healthcare centers it is highly likely that they will be asked for their medical insurances or perhaps the way medical bill will be settled. This practice is less likely to occur to white Americans thereby we enjoy more access to healthcare than Bosnian refugees do.
Second, we learned that it is stereotyped that Bosnian refugees have medical histories that resemble those of the Native Americans. Some diseases attributed to this stereotype include tuberculosis, hepatitis B and coronary diseases among other diseases. With regard to these diseases, it is stereotyped that by the time these people arrive in USA, the majority of them tend to have gone through cancer surgery and thyroid deficiency treatments among other sophisticated clinical procedures.
Third, we learned that our health experiences are different from those of Bosnian refugees in terms of war experiences. With regard to this issue, we learned that majority of Bosnian refugees are likely to succumb to post-traumatic stress disorders than we are likely to succumb to these disorders. The healthcare worker argued that Bosnian refugees are likely to have higher risks of delayed reactions to war-trauma because of the war they experienced before they came to USA. In contrast to this stereotype, the healthcare worker believed that even if Americans experience stress disorders in some instances, their disorders and the rate at which these disorders occur cannot be likened with that of Bosnian refugees. The healthcare worker insisted that other stress disorders are likely to be attributed to Bosnian refugees than they are likely to be attributed to Americans.
We also learned that Bosnian refugees are considered to have poorer health status characterized by decreased memory, poor appetite and poor energy than Americans. As for the decreased memory, majority of clinicians believe that this is largely caused by the war-trauma that Bosnian refugees experienced before they came to USA. Clinicians further believe that Bosnian refugees will have decreased memory for the next two generations.
Largely, our experiences in healthcare are attributed to our races and the way healthcare workers believe about our races. With regard to this issue, we learned that despite the fact that our races are different and perhaps affect our health to some extent, healthcare workers tend to handle us based on the prejudice they hold against each one of us. This aspect reminded us of the health stereotypes against the minority groups and the way healthcare workers believe they respond to treatment. In support of this practice, Harrington claims that during clinical uncertainties, doctors should rely on what they can see as well as the races of their patients (Harrington 73).
Works Cited
Coughlan, Reed, and Judith Owens-Manley. Bosnian Refugees in America: New Communities, New Cultures. New York: Springer, 2006. Print.
Harrington, Charlene. Health Policy: Crisis and Reform in the U.S. Health Care Delivery System. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2004. Print.