Closing the gap y'all!

I found this website a while ago (www.closingthegapinhealthcare.org). It’s run by this man named Dr. Bell and his aim is to….close the gap in health care, obviously.

He says that one major problem in health care is that not only are minorities excluded from many things because they have low income jobs, live in underserved areas and have little access to health insurance, but there is also a lot of ignorance.

What he does is give tips to people to help them stay healthy.

These tips are directed mostly at the African American population he says, but from looking at a few of them, I think they apply to all minorities (or not) living in “the hood.”

Here’s an example from his written tips titled “Behaviors that Kill You.”
1 Not taking your medications as prescribed
2 Smoking any amount of cigarettes
3 Not exercising on a regular basis
4 Eating fast foods on a regular basis
5 Not eating fruits and vegetables as recommended
6 Not practicing safe sex
7 Drinking too much or using drugs
8 Driving too fast
9 Not getting a good education

10 Not being careful about the people you hang out with.

These all seem pretty obvious to most of us (I hope) but he sees a lot of people who do not practice these and so he feels like it is necessary to keep people informed.

I think this is very telling because there are people who grow up almost knowing this from birth. However, people who are living in say, Camden, are not exactly eating organic produce and going jogging at night.

Also, Dr. Bell has a facebook group where he also posts the same tips. I thought this was a great idea, because I don’t think I know more than three people who don’t have facebook, and it is a good way to reach a younger population, so that a lot of sickness can be prevented.

I think that what Dr. Bell is trying to do is great because like I said before, there should also be emphasis on prevention rather than just treatment.

What I find most interesting is that he does not ask people to help “close the gap” through petitions or any kind of activism. He is asking individuals to close the gap by preserving their own health. I think this is most effective because there is nothing going against you other than your own bad habits.

Dr. Bell also has videos up on his website, and he says that his tips are sometimes fun, sometimes make people angry, but always true. And that’s what people need to know- the truth about their health and what they