TAKING BACK OUR HEALTH
Created by Erica Shrader
Environmental injustice is often looked at through the lens of the physical: houses, cars, landscape. But environmental injustice can go beyond what is seen. The negative consequences it can have on a persons health can have a lasting impact that may not be noticed for years. Health is an environmental injustice when a community is more vulnerable to certain health concerns due to their location and poverty level because capitalism has produced unequal environmental outcomes (low-paying job market that does not provide health benefits, cost of insurance/medicine, etc.). This is the case with the North Side of Milwaukee, whose residents face an increase in multiple health risks simply because of the area they live in. This report will look at statistics presented through the 2012 and 2013 Milwaukee health reports that disproportionately affect those with a lower income as well as the African American population (because 49.5% of the population in the lower income group is African American). This graph represents where Sherman Park socioeconomic status (SES) lies in comparison to the rest of Milwaukee. The graph is divided by zip code. The zip code that Sherman Park falls into 53210 and 53216, putting it in the lower SES zone.
There are three main categories that contribute to the health risks in the Sherman Park area.
1. Life Expectancy
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Wisconsin is the home to nearly 50,000 Hmong people, about 12,000 of which live in Milwaukee. This makes Milwaukee the largest Hmong population in Wisconsin and the fourth largest Hmong population in the United States. While the Hmong population may not be huge compared to the rest of Milwaukee, how health is discussed and distributed in Milwaukee ends up having a big impact on the Hmong population as a whole. The largest percentage of the Hmong community in Milwaukee live in the North Side, with one out of six living below the poverty line.
The Hmong community has lower rates of immunization and the lowest rate of cancer screenings of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. Because of this has developed high levels of preventable diseases such as gout, Hepatitis B, and breast/cervical/liver cancer. (see more on health here). The MCHH is a non-profit organization with the goal to bring health awareness to the Hmong community through outreach and education. They provide free screenings and monthly health workshops as well as host an annual conference on Hmong health. Listen to former MCHH member, E. Her Veng, describe the services the organization provides on a daily basis:
The MCHH 4th Annual Health Conference took place on April 6th, 2019. The conference included talks on things such as healthy nutrition, mental health, breast and cervical cancer, and diabetes. There was also a presentation by Dr. Yeng Fransoua Her on the preventable diseases facing the Hmong community and the social determinants that have led to these health problems.
Listen to volunteers at the event explain the importance of holding health conferences such as MCHH's.
Xeng Veng is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee studying to be a physician. He heard about the conference through UWM's Hmong Student Alliance and volunteered with vision screening.
Charles Veng is a graduate nurse at Aurora St. Lukes. He worked as a volunteer at the conference translating and interpreting cholesterol screening results for attendees.
E. Her Veng was a presentation facilitator at the conference and represented the group Hmong Young Professionals, who hosted a round table and networking event for Hmong students looking to join the medical profession.
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Other Resources:
- http://www.hmongstudies.org/SparksetalHSJ15.pdf
- http://archive.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/report-shows-growth-in-hmong-community-a388pb6-185823661.html
- https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/life-expectancy-by-re/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D
- https://www.cuph.org/uploads/2/5/8/5/25855930/mhr_2013_final.pdf
- https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/healthAuthors/ADMIN/PDFs/Reports/2012MilwaukeeCommunityHealthSurvey.pdf