Adam D Swanson
Suicide Prevention Resource Center in Washington, USA
Title: Listen Without Labels: An Effective Engagement Strategy to Address Health Disparities
Biography
Biography: Adam D Swanson
Abstract
For more than a decade, studies have shown that Americans of minority status face remarkable disparities when it comes to preventable illnesses, mental health and addicition conditions, and overall mortality. The statistics speak for themselves: Black babies are almost 5 times more likely to die before reaching their first birthday than white babies; suicide attempts for high school-aged Hispanic girls are 70 percent higher than for white girls in the same age group; lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults are about 5 times more likely than heterosexual men and women to have a mental illness in their lifetime such as those related to mood, anxiety or substance use; and nearly 40 percent of all transgender people report that they have faced harassment or discrimination when seeking routine health care. Explainations of this phenomna from researchers and policymakers varies across issues of access, poverty, and biology. But the less talked about root cause of health dispairities— discriminiation—is all too often glossed over. Adam D. Swanson, a nationally awarded public speaker and health equity advocate, will share his harrowing life story about crisis health care interactions to help demostrate the impact of discrimination as a major root cause of systemic health disparities within clinical care settings. His story and supporting data about the vulnerablities facing minority populations will help providers of all levels and researchers think more broadly about how to improve health outcomes, eliminate health disparities, and achieve health equity.