#ShareTheScope Spotlights Black Healthcare Needs
Eight healthcare marketing and media leaders turned over their social media channels to “eight organizations and influencers focused on health issues and disparities facing the Black community,” according to the news release about the social media effort. On July 22, #ShareTheScope allowed “new voices and perspectives from those who are tirelessly advocating for equity and justice in healthcare” to reach more than one million followers collectively. The initiative, spearheaded by Outcome Health, was “based on the highly successful #ShareTheMicNow … with the aim of amplifying Black voices working toward change in America’s embedded racist healthcare system and reaching an audience they previously hadn’t,” continued the news release about “sharing the stethoscope”.
With the African American population disproportionately affected by several health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, asthma, among others, Outcome Health “recognizes that economic instability, physical environment, inadequate education and lack of access to healthcare systems can perpetuate” such health issues. Matt McNally was quoted in the press release, saying: “#ShareTheScope is Outcome Health’s call to action to the industry to educate and advocate on the deeply embedded gaps in healthcare for Black families. Knowledge is power, so we decided to connect prominent Black organizations with our peers in healthcare who have a shared desire for justice to act together to collectively walk the walk, not just talk the talk.”
The #ShareTheScope social media turnover partnerships were:
- “Outcome Health & Suzet McKinney, DrPH, MPH, CEO/Executive Director of the Illinois Medical District, the second-largest urban medical district in the United States and home to four major hospitals.
- “Ad Council & Black Mental Wellness, which provides access to evidence-based information and resources about mental health and behavioral health to decrease mental health stigma in the Black community.
- “PatientPoint gives its platform to GEN-H, developers of a regional health plan as a community-wide response to the critical and growing health challenges facing Greater Cincinnati and North Kentucky.
- “Verywell Health & Black Women’s Health Imperative, the only national organization dedicated solely to improving the health and wellness of our nation’s 21 million Black women and girls – physically, emotionally and financially.
- “HealthiNation & Sean Peters, Ph.D., the founder of My Body, My Kitchen, an online resource to help with the development of the physical and mental health of persons of color.
- “Real Talk with Dr. Offutt & Urban Health Media Project, which is teaching diverse high school from under-resourced communities how to report multimedia stories about the health and social issues affecting their communities.
- “Shatterproof & Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, which develops and promotes practices and programs to create positive change and reduce the harmful consequences of substance use and misuse in Texas.
- “MM&M partners with BLKHLTH, which challenges racism and its impact on Black health via its platform that educates, engages and empowers the Black community.”
“Despite the fact that healthcare in America has been a topic of debate for decades, the needs of people of color have not been given equitable consideration. The opportunity to ‘Share the ‘Scope’ with Outcome Health for education and advocacy should be a catalyst to a growing recognition of the existing health disparities suffered by Black Americans, and we trust it will encourage more people to use their voices loudly to enact meaningful, lasting change,” stated Dr. McKinney in the news release.
“#ShareTheScope fits well with our mission to mobilize and engage women and organizations to pursue greater opportunities for gender and racial justice. This is a great opportunity to educate and shift public perception about the needs of Black women’s health,” noted Linda Goler Blount, MPH, President and CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative in the news release.