Filipino Population in the United States
Nevertheless, the interrelation of countries also comes with it observable problems such as the emergence of transnational issues. Transnational issues are recognized as problems that transcend territorial boundaries and an example of which is the issue of immigration. In relation to this, Filipino citizens are recognized as one of the leading immigrants in other countries, especially in the United States. Filipino immigrants and refugees in the United States may they legally or illegally enter the country, are recognized as a concern of the United States government, especially when it comes to their welfare. Being the case, it is necessary that the specific social and health issues that affect the Filipino population in the United States are given due attention and importance.
Human, Social, and Health Problems among Filipino Immigrants and Refugees
In order to understand the social and health problems that affect the Filipino population, it is essential that a greater understanding about the background of this people is properly discussed. Filipinos are defined as a multicultural people with Chinese, Spanish, Malayan, Indonesian, South Asia, American, and, in the south, Muslim cultural influences (McGoldrick et al., 2005, p. 319). Due to these influences, the concept of shared identity and connectedness is given focus among Filipinos. In addition to this, certain values are also observable among Filipinos such as, centrality of the family, acceptance of uncertainty, ability to relate to others, respect offered according to the individuals place in the structure of hierarchical relations, adaptability, and religiosity (McGoldrick et al., 2005, p. 319). Filipinos ranked as the second largest Asian-descent group in the United States. The Filipino population in the United States amounted to about 2.4 million, which compromises 18.3 of the Asian population in America. Majority of all Asian Americans are located in six metropolitan areas in the United States namely, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Chicago. From the different groups with Asia origin, the Filipinos have more similarities with Pacific Islanders because of the high rates of English proficiency. Furthermore, attitude and norms of Filipinos are related to a constellation of variables, which include multigenerational households, sharing of resources, proficiency in language, and education. As a result, Filipinos in America are recognized to belong to the highest median family incomes and they also have the lowest number of people living in poverty (McGoldrick et al., 2005).
Nevertheless, despite the fact that Filipinos in the United States are regarded to belong in the highest median family incomes, they still face social and health issues in this foreign land that they are situated. One of the most notable social issues that Filipinos have to face is the way by which they could adapt their respective norms and behaviors with that of a foreign land, which has an important role in the mental health of these people. Filipinos, who belong to the Asian American group have to sensitized to their environment and make an effort in order to maintain harmony and equilibrium in their various levels of experience. In relation to this studies, show that Asian and Pacific Americans express more concern and sensitivity when it comes to social situation as compared with white Americans. The main objective of most Asians and Pacific Americans is to establish social and emotional balance by means of the mutual system of give and take. In relation to this, Filipinos also look for balance when it comes to their external world. This is rooted from the Eastern philosophy that is related to the way by which Asian and Pacific Americans accept the natural course of life events. Finding the balance in the emotional economy and the significant others of Asians and Pacific Americans, which includes Filipinos, is necessary in order for this population to maintain metal well-being and to diminish cases of neurosis among these people.
In addition to this, Filipinos also suffer from numerous health issues that are not properly address as compared with their other Asian and Pacific Islander counterparts. The FilipinoFilipino American in the United States, especially the youth and adolescents population of this minority group, show disparities in comparison with Anglo and other Asian and Pacific Islander groups when it comes to gestational diabetes, rates of neonatal mortality, and low birth weight, malnutrition in young children, overweight, physical inactivity and fitness, tuberculosis, dental caries and substance abuse.
In line with this, there is also a discrepancy across groups when it comes to health insurance, health care use, and health status. Filipinos are not regarded as a discrete subpopulation but there arte notable differences regarding this minority group in the United States when it comes to the prevalence of chronic health conditions as compared with the other minority groups in the country. This is exemplified in the case of Filipinos in the Los Angeles Country wherein Filipinos are recorded to have more chronic illnesses as compared with the other Asian and Pacific Islanders. One possible reason for this aforementioned situation is that in neighborhoods that are co-populated densely by Latinos and FilipinoFilipino Americans, both of these groups have the same earnings and employment characteristics, which also shows that Filipinos also suffer the same rate of chronic disease as Latinos. It demonstrates that the working class and lower-income FilipinoFilipino American households suffer from health problems more than other Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States (Semics LLC, 2007).
Resources and Service Gaps in the Healthcare of Filipino in the United States
The social and health issues that concern the FilipinoFilipino Americans in the United States clearly show that there are persistent disparities in health and health care for this minority group in America. In relation to this, the accessibility of healthcare resources among FilipinoFilipino Americans in the United States also varies depending upon the income of the family. FilipinoFilipino Americans who belong to the higher income rate has the capability to avail of healthcare services and more so, if they have healthcare insurance. However, Filipinos who belong to the lower income group have more difficulty in accessing healthcare services, especially with the expensive healthcare in the United States.
In relation to this, FilipinoFilipino American patients also have a hard time in properly communicating with health care providers. In most cases, mainstream health care providers failed to give culturally relevant services and advice. This finding is based on the level of comfort and confidence that patients feel in expressing themselves in English when it comes to specific health concerns.
Another gap that is observable when it comes to Filipinos access to healthcare is their reliance on traditional providers, which make them reluctant to avail the services of doctors and hospitals. This kind of attitude is rooted from the medical and health service situation in the Philippines wherein healthcare services is expensive and demands ready cash. In addition, the lack of sound insurance and other financial protection also made health services in the Philippines very expensive as well as medicine prescriptions. Due to this, most patients will not go to the doctor unless they are already acutely ill. The concept of accessing health services is alien to many Filipinos even if the services are already available at low or no cost at all. Being the case, this perception and attitude of Filipinos about health services could turn into a pressing problem when FilipinoFilipino Americans suffer from high incidence of chronic diseases.
Selected Health Services and Barriers
In the United States, migration of Filipinos had in its highest for the past few years, in fact, there are over 2 million Filipinos who are currently living and working in the country. Therefore, these set of migrants are the responsibility of the United States government in their healthcare. Thus, the United States offers different kinds of health benefits for Filipinos and other migrant workers as a privilege in order to encourage these people to work and stay in the United States. Hence, the entire healthcare benefits which are able to receive by legal citizens are also offered for Filipinos. Moreover, healthcare services are a privilege to which different individuals must have because health is one of the aspects in life where in the support of the government is truly needed.
In the view of the culture of Filipinos to have a great interest in freebies, and cheaper priced goods, Filipinos would not give up a chance to have different kinds of free privileges which could lessen their expenses. Although some might put this as a joke, it is true that Filipinos have this character due to the lifestyle that they had in the Philippines which is mostly filled with poverty and inequality of resources due to corruption. However, Filipinos who are living in the United States are mostly professionals who are also working as healthcare providers.
In the written work of Greg Yamashiro and Jon Matsuoka (1997), they stated that different cultures have various perspectives with regards to health care services and what kind of health care services they will indulge. One of the most questionable health services which the Filipinos would not want to experience being within a psychological health services. Moreover, the authors mentioned that the concept of psychological issues is somehow questionable for the first generation Filipino-Americans as well as other minor ethnicities due to the concept which is very unacceptable for these people. Moreover, there are different ethnicities in the United States are limited to different health services available. Looking into the culture of the Filipinos which are known to be happy and cheerful most of the time thus, there is a concept of the community where in psychological health services only is required to those that are extremely requires health service such as mentally ill patients who are already violent. Furthermore, aspects of health care for Filipinos are only limited for within the problems of the physical health and not mental aspects. Thus, compared to the Filipinos, the security of their health care are mainly connected to their health care providers.
Another factor to which the Filipino-Americans are hindered to seek health care services is due to the factors of racial discrimination within the community. Although Filipino-Americans are the second highest Asian migrants in the United States there are cases in which racial discrimination is upheld due to the skin color or the accent of the people. There are moments in which people in the United States do not give immediate attention to other ethnicities due to their own beliefs. Thus different health providers prioritize other ethnicities which cause more deaths and sickness with Filipinos. Furthermore, the fear of being discriminated against only creates much sickness within the society. In fact, many Filipinos lead to personal medication rather than go to physicians which could accurately determine the sickness. Hence, this types of issues related to discrimination is also one aspect to which health problems are not addressed.
Other forms of barriers are the economic capabilities of Filipinos. Although many studies present that most Filipinos are in the middle class, health priority is still in question. In order to take care of their health, Filipinos are much more preventive and not inclined to curing different kinds of sickness or disease. Moreover, health care in the United States is similar to a gold mine due to the very expensive price which is needed to be paid for the insurance and the likes. Going back, the case of economic capabilities, Filipinos by nature do not consider health as a priority. The main concern of the people Filipinos is to provide money for their family to use. Thus, the responsibility for the family is much needed to be addressed rather than the psychical health.
Mobilization of Community Resources and Enhancing Service Utilization
In order to mobilize and enhance service utilization is to address the concept of culture. Given that different cultures have different perspectives with regards to healthcare. All the various types of medical services are from the perspective of the westerners which are highly unique with Filipinos. In the perspective of psychology and mental health Filipinos are very much hesitant to different kinds of medications for it is a taboo or a shame to the whole clan. Thus, there should be different kinds of approaches with regards to healthcare. Moreover, variety of studies must also be conducted to the relationship of health care services and the culture of Filipinos.
In order to make health care much accessible groups of persons who also relates to the same issues and cultural background. Moreover, in order to have enhanced and mobilized health care services there should be hospitals in which Filipinos must be present in the area. Health providers must be Filipinos who would have the same language and understand the qualms of patients in varying situations. Therefore, it would be best to suggest that different health care providers must have varying ethnicities to address the needs of the people.
In addition to this, health care services must be accessible and open to people who are of different ethnicities. Provided that one of the problems in the Filipino community is discrimination such issues must be lessened. Therefore, health care providers must have knowledge in handling various types of ethnicities. Openness and equality must be one of the main values to which health care providers, hospitals, and clinics should have.
Case Study
In this research a short story regarding an old Filipino man and his younger relatives is presented in order to present the main point of healthcare services.
In the Carson, Los Angeles there is an old Filipino man who had been experiencing heavy coughing for a week. Although he had been told by his relative that he needed to go to a physician where in he could truly know the real problem. As a traditional Filipino, the old man did not want to go to a physician for he only believes that coughing is only a normal type of sickness which would immediately disappear. However, the old man was still coughing until the following week. Thus, the old man lead to personal medication in which he drank boiled ginger and drank that for a week. Although the cough lessened for a few days, the cough is still goes back.
In this short story, the old man knew that he had a problem in coughing however he is not convinced that coughing is a health problem that should be consulted to a doctor. Thus, he led to personal medication which does not seem to have helped at all. The patient might be helped immediately if he was also cooperating with the suggestion of his relative to immediately go to a doctor to address the problem instantly. In addition, other diseases might also be addressed without taking too much time or worsening the situation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the problem of attaining health care services is due to the issues with regards to economic capabilities, discrimination, and cultural differences. Moreover, there is a need for different health providers to be more flexible and understanding towards the situation of Filipinos. In addition to this, health care providers must realize that health does not choose color. Although different individuals have varying perspectives, health problems do not choose color or race. People have the same anatomy which means that all the health problems and issues of white Americans are also similar to the minorities. Moreover, health issues should not be chosen yet it must be given equally.
Categories:
0 comments:
Post a Comment