A new resource is helping Black Coloradans with finding culturally appropriate specialists to deal with health issues.
Known as the Colorado Black Health Resource Directory, the Colorado Black Health Collaborative and Connect for Health Colorado founded the resource. The idea for the 108-page guide reportedly first stemmed in 2010 when the Colorado Black Health Collaborative began getting increased requests from Black Coloradans on how to find specialists who are able to truly understand their concerns for their illnesses.
The directory helps patients connect with professionals who have a lived experience of their health journeys. It’s currently free for all, offering users access to the information of specialists in fields from maternal health to dance instructions.
“It’s all-encompassing,” said Dr. Terri Richardson, co-founder of CBHR, per CBS News. “We go cradle to grave, that’s what we say.”
Through the creation of a resource such as a directory, the CBHC is also helping address racial bias in professional treatment.
Often, in the medical field, Black adults are subjected to unfairness or disrespect throughout their medical journeys. Per a KFF report released last year, 18% of Black adults said that their health provider had treated them with disrespect because of their race or ethnic background.
As a result, 55% said that they felt they needed to be careful about their appearance to be treated fairly, while 29% reported that they needed to prepare for possible insults from their provider or doctor. When they visited Black professionals or doctors, they were more likely to report having positive experiences built on trust and the belief that their providers would do what was right for them.
“Sometimes, we feel like we get lost here in Colorado, being only a small percentage of the population, yet our health disparities are at the top or the bottom, as we always say,” said Dr. Richardson. “It’s very important to have someone with that lived experience. You don’t have to explain to me what it means to be Black in America. I already know.”
