CONCORD, N.C. -- Health and state officials are working to address health disparities impacting our community.

What You Need To Know

  • State agencies and hospitals are working to address health inequity.

  • According to the CDC, Black Americans are twice as likely to suffer a stroke than white Americans.

  • Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely to die from a stroke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, minority groups are at a higher risk of having chronic illnesses such as stroke and diabetes. 48-year-old Doug Duncan experienced this first hand. He suffered a stroke three years ago.

On August 10, 2017, Duncan became disoriented while driving in Charlotte, which prompted him to stop at an apartment complex. A good Samaritan who noticed something was wrong, invited him to his apartment.

“I got some water and next thing I know I hear a bomb go off in my head and this whirring sound. It just wouldn’t leave me,” Duncan said.

When he tried to get up, he couldn’t. At that moment, he knew he needed medical attention.

“My speech was slurred. I could kind of feel my face was a little droopy on the right side. Like I said I lost feeling on my right side so I really couldn’t control it. It was like moving dead weight,” Doug said.

His wife, Erika, met him at an emergency room in Charlotte where he was transported.

“We had built a life for ourselves and in a moment it all changed,” Erika said. “It was very emotional and scary. Fear was one of the greatest emotions I felt, so I just tried to take one day at a time.”

Doug was unable to work for two years and it took him a while to walk again.

"I went from being bedridden, if you will, to being in a wheelchair, to being in a walker, to then being assisted with a cane and then walking around unassisted,” Doug said.

Having a stroke is not uncommon for Black Americans like Doug. According to the CDC, Black people are nearly twice as likely to have a first stroke compared to caucasian Americans. Hispanic and Black people are also more likely to die from it.

In addition, minorities have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Novant Health Senior Vice President for Consumer Engagement and Corporate Health Dr. Jerome Williams Jr. says inequities in society can contribute to these health disparities.

"If you look at redlining, redlining was a practice where certain groups were unable to live in certain areas, get loans for certain areas. That had a direct impact on home ownership, had a direct impact on wealth generation, wealth creation,” Dr. Williams said.

He added when groups don’t have the same opportunities, this can translate into people in certain zip codes not having access to healthcare, transportation or healthy food.

"There are many different inequitable situations or inequitable distribution of resources across the community that directly impacts the health of those communities,” Dr. Williams said.

In today’s pandemic, Black and Hispanics have high rates of COVID-19 cases even they don’t make up for the majority of the population.

"Food insecurities, housing insecurities, lack of access, predated COVID. However, it has become worldwide and national because the pandemic is national and worldwide,” Dr. Williams said.

However, work is being done to address the inequities. Some of the initiatives Novant Health has implemented, include connecting patients to social services and delivering fresh food to areas with limited availability.

“This is a long-term proposition. This is not something you set up a couple of programs and just away program. The way we approach health equity in Novant is that is built into the fabric of everything we do in our system,” Dr. Williams said.

Back at home, Doug made it a long-term goal to control his high blood pressure and eat healthy. Thanks to rehabilitation and family support, Doug is now able to walk, work, and drive like he did before his stroke.

“It’s such a big blessing at this point of recovery, being able what I used to do,” Doug said.

Erika, who was her husband’s caregiver and the sole income earner of the household while he recovered, is proud of Doug’s accomplishments.

“To see him now walking, driving, cooking, being able to work again, that took a lot of effort,” Erika said.

After her husband’s stroke, she learned from the American Heart Association cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women. She has made a conscious effort to practice heart healthy habits. In addition, she has been involved with American Heart Association’s signature women’s initiative Go Red for Women Charlotte for two years.

North Carolina recently developed a task force to address socioeconomic and health disparities. It will collect information and find solutions to health access issues, economic opportunities for minority-owned businesses, education, and environmental justice.