Resources for Black Patients Living with a Chronic Illness
Once you receive a chronic illness diagnosis, your life drastically changes. You may have to take more medications and doctor’s appointments than you can handle. In addition, you deal with the uncertainties of living with a chronic illness. While your healthcare team can educate you on your chronic illness and give you health management tips, you may need to go beyond them to get more insight and help for your chronic illness.
This is especially true for Black and minority patients, who have worsened health outcomes for chronic diseases. These communities need more health information tailored to them.
To celebrate Black History Month, we’ve compiled six resources for Black patients living with a chronic illnesses.
NAACP
Unfortunately, microaggressions and unconscious bias can occur among healthcare providers. When these incidents occur, they can affect healthcare management for Black patients. The NAACP is helping to address those concerns. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is one of the largest black organizations in the world. NAACP fights against racism and other forms of discrimination by advocating for civil and human rights.
NAACP offers resources on addressing systemic racism and finding legal justice. Also, the NAACP has a resource library that includes toolkits and fact sheets that help Black patients stay informed.
Therapy in Color
Living with a chronic condition can cause more stress that affects a person’s mental health. People with chronic illnesses have a higher risk of developing mental health conditions. Therapy is a treatment that can help patients navigate their feelings and improve their mental well-being.
Some members of the Black community may feel more comfortable with a therapist of color that's more culturally competent. Therapy in Color provides a directory of Black therapists within the United States. Therapy in Color’s goal is to end the stigma around seeing a therapist, which is shunned by some in the Black community.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the nation’s leading public health agency. The CDC delivers health promotion and disease prevention education. Also, the CDC provides resources Black people living with chronic illnesses can use to manage their condition.
For example, some of the types of resources available on the CDC’s website include ways to manage your chronic disease during a disaster and chronic disease self-management programs.
Women’s Health
The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) provides educational materials on critical women’s health conditions. On OWH’s website, they offer patient education on topics like chronic disease, sexual health, and reproductive health. In addition, they have fact sheets, infographics, guides, and webinars, which patients can access.
Medline Plus
MedlinePlus is an online health information resource for patients, families, and caregivers. MedlinePlus is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Visitors to the website can explore health topics, view articles, learn about medical tests and drugs, and get healthy recipes. Unfortunately, medical jargon can be hard to understand for many patients and their loved ones. Thankfully, MedlinePlus creates health content that is easy to read and available in many languages.
Zocdoc
Those looking for a primary care doctor or a specialist can use Zocdoc. ZocDoc has one of the largest directories of in-person and virtual doctors. Users can search through specialties to find doctors that fit their medical needs. Zocdoc works with healthcare providers that accept most health insurances. This is a major benefit as it helps patients determine which providers are within the network.
How Chronius Can Help
If living with chronic illness feels like a full time job, you aren’t alone.
That’s why at Chronius, we make it easy to navigate the healthcare system as a patient. Our online care management platform brings together all of your health records and offers a 1-click appointment prep tool that easily synthesizes your health story for your care team. You also can track all of your symptoms, identify trends, learn from vetted medical information, and follow a custom patient journey map. Plus, if you needs hands on support, our Care Advocates are available to help you with any issues you may hit up against. Personalized support as you navigate your care journey is what we are all about.
Interested in learning more and signing up for our waitlist? Claim your spot today.
