Problem statement: Health Disparities in St. Louis

  • Observation, Background, and Context: St. Louis is one of the most segregated metropolitan areas in the United States. Racial and ethnic health inequities seem to be what we are currently facing in St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis. This includes equitable healthcare access, mental health disparities, heart disease, and cancer disparities. Social determinants play a key factor in the quality of healthcare. Health is affected by education, housing, access to health care, food security, and employment. The questions that arise from my observations are, what are the primary factors contributing to these health disparities, how does the division between St. Louis County and St. Louis City impacts public health efforts, How does environmental factors contribute to health inequities in St. Louis, Are there any barriers in accessing mental health services? Are there any adequate resources available to address health disparities in St. Louis that people may not be aware of, and if so how are healthcare providers, community organizations, and programs collaborating to reduce and promote these disparities? What interventions/tools are in place to address them, and how effective are they?

Key issues: Racial segregation, socioeconomic inequities, mental health care.

Approach: I would focus on engaging with the community, implementing accessible health programs, upholding policies, ensuring funding is available, and addressing social determinants of health. Racial disparities regarding health disparities, heart disease, cancer, and mental health have been well documented in the St. Louis county as well as the St.Louis region. This project will help determine what community proposed strategies will reduce these health disparities. The method I intend to use would be a distribution map or website. I also wouldn’t mind creating an organization to help others better understand its impacts on local individuals in the community.

Below are some facilities and places that offer resources regarding mental health, health access, food security, job employment and more!

  • See google my maps

1st article:

Health Disparities in St. Louis, Our 2024 Conference City

2nd article:

Disparities in Health and Health Care: 5 Key Questions and Answers

3rd article: 

Metropolitan medicine: Reflections on health disparities in St. Louis