Author: Simone P., Marketing Committee
“Environmental Racism? Oh, so now even the Earth is racist.”
No. The Earth itself is in no way racist, as silly as that may seem to hear. Environmental racism refers to the geographic locations of hazardous materials, landfills, and incinerators being disproportionately placed in predominantly minority communities. This leads to various detrimental consequences to both the people and ecosystem of the area. Let’s disregard the potential effects and focus on the facts. Studies show that, “...more than half of all people in the United States who live within 3.0 kilometers (1.86 miles) of a hazardous waste facility are people of color.” (Mohai et.al, 2007). You may be asking then, “Well what if these facilities were there before they [BIPOC] moved in?” That same study noted that these facilities were built after residents had settled, specifically to follow the ‘course of least resistance’. This is defined by the fact that these communities historically have fewer resources and political power that is needed to fight these major corporations. It is not just a coincidence that these corporations are targeting minority communities. In Houston during the time of the Bean v. Southwestern case (1985), all the city-owned landfills and 75% of the city-owned incinerators were in Black neighborhoods, even though they made up only 25% of the population during that period of time. Bean v Southwestern was the first case of environmental justice being tried under civil rights law, projecting the intersectionality of environmental racism to the public. Unfortunately, we still are dealing with environmental racism today. Many of us have heard of Flint, Michigan, and their water crisis in 2016 which gained national attention. If anyone is still curious, it is now 2022, and the water is still undrinkable and lead contaminated. People may argue over the causes of recent spikes in cancer and diseases in BIPOC communities. But what is known is that there is a disproportionate number of illnesses plaguing them. Whether asthma (inhaling toxic fumes and particles), cancer (toxic drinking water and food grown in toxic soil from chemical plants), or some other disease, there must be a solution. Companies are killing people, and they are powerless to stop them. This needs to be brought to the forefront, and as future physicians, we need to advocate for their health. Thank you. Resources: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/curated-collections/environmental-racism#:~:text=To%20understand%20environmental%20racism%20is,HIV%2C%20compared%20with%20White%20counterparts. http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nattrans/ntuseland/essays/envjust.htm https://news.umich.edu/targeting-minority-low-income-neighborhoods-for-hazardous-waste-sites/ Events This MonthMember of the Month!Author: Rughved B. So, the great state of Florida has the highest amount of pain pills prescribed in the United States, to put this into perspective, in 2011, doctors in Florida prescribed 10 times more oxycodone pills than every state in the U.S. COMBINED. People used to, and still do, come from all over the South East to come to Florida’s pain clinics. I know there are some medical assistants in the room and if you work in a pain management clinic like myself, you’re aware that people with chronic pain need to take many opioids to cope with their pain. Now, you may be thinking, of course Florida prescribes the most pain pills. We have a lot of elder people in this state who suffer from chronic pain but it is not them that are dying from opioid overdoses. According to the CDC, drug overdose is the leading cause of injury mortality in the U.S. And the age range that has the highest death rate from substance abuse are 15 and up. Since more people are looking for quick fixes at parties, a higher demand in drugs has caused the market to mass produce cheap drugs laced with Fentanyl. There needs to be a shift in how we approach pain management. In the United States, prescribing medications is a business, it’s just profit for big pharma. You’ve had shoulder surgery, here’s a 30 day prescription for Oxycontin 30mg, take 3 a day. Yes, that used to happen in pain management clinics in Florida about 10 years ago. You used to be able to get a 90 COUNT PRESCRIPTION with no MRI, no X-Ray if you said you have pain. How about no, how about a 3 or 7 day supply then a follow up with a doctor then continue to use Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen for the duration that you have pain. It has been causal to prescribe medication and multiple healthcare professionals such as, believe or not, Dr. Phil has testified in front of congress to raise the alarms about the overprescription of opioids which then leads to buying the “SAME THING” off the street from your brother from Sigma Apple Pie who “promises, bro you’ll be good just go with it”. Florida used to have `pain pill mills” and you used to be able to get pain medication prescriptions from doctors at a clinic and then go right next door to a pharmacy which only sold pain pills. Sounds normal but, there was no database like there is now. So people used to go a mile away to another doctor's office and repeat the process and end up with a sack of pills because they would be stockpiling. People would then move these sacks out of Florida and drive them up to Kentucky. This was referred to as the Oxycontin Express. Effects of this were drastic along the Appalachian community if any of you are familiar with the epidemic up there. What I am getting to, is that we are living in an Opioid epidemic. When we all become doctors eventually, I want to urge everyone to keep in mind that how we view medications matters more than you think. Prescription drugs are expensive, heroin is cheaper. Just because medication is prescribed from a doctor, it does not make it safe. Addiction is on the rise. Drugs off the streets are being laced with Fentanyl. I think we should do everything in our power to educate ourselves on opioids and the strain is weighing heavy on our healthcare system as well. Author: Maria S., Marketing Committee According to the CDC, mosquito borne diseases are those that “…spread by the bite of an infected mosquito” (CDC, 2016). Female mosquitoes transmit bacteria, viruses, and parasites when they bite and suck blood for the means of reproduction. Therefore, blood is need for the female mosquito to develop eggs. Mosquito borne diseases include Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria. These diseases are very common in tropic and subtropical regions of the world, seeing that higher temperatures and humid conditions allow the mosquitos to thrive. For example, the CDC states that “Malaria parasites, which grow and develop inside the mosquito, need warmth to complete their growth before they are mature enough to be transmitted to humans” (CDC, 2022). According to the World Health Organization, half of the world’s population is at risk of being infected with malaria and children under the age of 5 are the most vulnerable. Consequently, different countries around the world have taken certain approaches to deal with this situation. Author: Aytana C. This article was written at the request of 2022 VPR, Chloe B. as a chance to share advice and experiences from our current members to our new Sigma class as they prepare to choose their Bigs. I am excited to share some personal, anonymous accounts from a few of our members who agreed to give some advice (thank you to those I interviewed!) that may be helpful for anyone who is nervous or worried about the process. I know I was last Fall, so I hope this helps! Author: Maria A., Marketing Committee The world of medicine is very complex and rich in culture, having deep-rooted foundations predating many prominent historical eras and civilizations. As a result of these profound cultural ties, there are many different practices and beliefs about medicine as well as healing in general. However, over the years many of these practices have come about as a result of fear, superstitions, and taboos. For example, has you mom ever yelled at you for going to sleep with wet hair because "you are going to get a cold?" Has your grandmother ever thrown a bottle on Vicks Vapor rub your way with the slightest sniffle because she believes that is the universal ailment? As mentioned, the sociocultural perspectives tied into medicine offer some pretty fascinating global viewpoints on the practices of medicine and healing and it is interesting to see how different cultures tacking different issues. Author: Aytana C. A series of questions were given to our current members to answer regarding how to be a good big for our members who are going through the big-little pairing process. The questions were asked from the perspective of members who are already Bigs, as well as littles reflecting on their relationship with their Big. Author: Simone P., Marketing Committee As aspiring physician, we hold a high regard for patient care and the achievements the medical field has contributed to society. It is our responsibility to do no harm and hold yourself to give patients the highest level of care we can provide. New medicines and clinical trials held no worries for me, as I felt doctors had my care as their best interest. Risks were always explained, there were no doubts regarding credibility, and no qualms held over the ethics of medications and testing subjects. As a white woman who comes from a family in which doctors were seen as respectable and trusted figures, it is my responsibility to understand why that is not the same for others.
Privilege is a concept that seems easy to grasp: rich people are privileged in society because they can buy more things and have greater access to experiences. Men are privileged in the sense that they don't have to deal with the societal standards of hyperfeminism and extreme diet/beauty culture. White privilege is always seen in the aspects of slavery, as if it's a past notion. Privilege is not simply societal standing or economic prosperity: it is the everyday ins-and-outs that can be excused or the actions that can go unnoticed with some and hyper-fixated with others. So why is it then that we cannot hold medical privilege to the same standard? |
All published articles and resources are respectively written and curated by the FL-Epsilon members with the purpose of informing fellow fraters on the premedical journey
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