CAM and Minority Populations: Overcoming the Accessibilty and Affordability Barriers

The link between CAM and minority populations is an incredibly unique connection. If you examine the history of CAM, you’ll find a medical perspective that is rooted in ancient practices, all of which have ties to minority populations. However, if you examine CAM usage among minority populations, you’ll find a large discrepancy.

Who is reporting using CAM?

• ·         36%  of Caucasians

• ·         27% of Hispanics

• ·         26% of African Americans

How is this connected to health disparities?

CAM is becoming a much more common approach in prevention and provides increased treatment options. Despite the proven benefits, accessibility is a primary concern.

“The next decade will see a myriad of advances in prevention and treatment that will yield significant health gains. Notable advances are likely in community approaches to prevention, healthy eating and active living, the expanded care model, patient navigation, complementary and alternative medicine, and biomonitoring. Typically the poor and underserved are the last to benefit from such advances as health disparities in the U.S. are significant with African Americans being 23% more likely to die from all types of cancer than whites. Additionally, in 2001 the death rate from diabetes among Hispanics was 40% higher than the death rates of whites” (Bezold, Calvo, Fritts, & Jonas, 2008, p. 5).

While differences exist among the different racial groups, researchers have found that differences exist within the same race. In fact, income and education are the two most significant predictors of using CAM.

What is the primary barrier to using CAM?

Hint: What is all too often linked to education and income? Insurance!

This is a perfect example of the power of the ripple effect. Insurance has proven to be an incredible barrier for CAM usage. Many insurance companies don’t cover CAM. Even still, many CAM practitioners don’t take insurance, leaving patients with pricey out-of-pocket expenses. From a Medicare and Medicaid perspective, CAM is only covered in Vermont.

So what’s the solution?

It’s a fairly simple solution with an incredibly complex design: address accessibility and affordability. Integrating CAM therapies into hospitals, clinics, and community health centers would increase accessibility, affordability, and help to begin a shift within the medical community that focus more on holistic health, wellbeing, and prevention. Training and education should be at the forefront of this movement working to provide communities with more CAM practitioners and patients with education and resources.

Community Spotlight

Pam Durham recognized this exact need within the city of Fort Worth, TX. In an effort to serve the city, Pam opened Acupuncture Wellness Community Clinic. The premise of her practice is that “health and wellbeing should be affordable for everyone;” therefore, the clinic operates on a sliding scale of $20-$40. Patients have the ability to choose their payment amount so that they can continue to return for treatment. Acupuncture Wellness Community clinic is located in the hospital district of Fort Worth, conveniently located near the major hospitals and many doctor’s offices. Pam provides a range of CAM services such as, acupuncture, acupressure, cupping, moxibustion, electrical stimulation, herbal supplements, nutritional counseling, body work, Qi Gong, mediation, and allergy elimination to a community of patients by working to eliminate the accessibility and affordability barriers.

For more information on Pam Durham and the Acupuncture Wellness Community Clinic, visit her website at www.pamdurham.com.

References

Bezold, C., Calvo, A., Fritts, M., & Jonas, W. (2008). Integrative medicine and health disparities: A scoping meeting. Retrieved from http://www.altfutures.org/pubs/DRA/Report_09_04_Integrative_Medicine_and_Health_Disparities_A_Scoping_Meeting.pdf

Chao, M. T., & Wade, C. M. (2008). Socioeconomic factors and women’s use of complementary and alternative medicine in four racial/ethnic groups. Ethnicity and Disease, 18, 65-71.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (2013). Weekly and twice-weekly yoga classes offer similar low-back pain relief in low-income minority populations. Retrieved from http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/072013