That training started with the recent launch of a cultural-competence campaign that will provide workshops at hospitals. One goal: to help doctors with diagnoses of diseases prevalent in blacks. Compared with the general population, blacks die of cancer at a 40 percent greater rate; they’re 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease. High-sodium diets and economic stress are big factors, but reports like the Institute of Medicine’s “Unequal Treatment, Confronting Racial and Ethic Disparities in Health Care” suggest that care providers may be partially to blame. Says the institute’s Martha Hill, “It’s essential physicians understand the cultural needs of the diverse group of patients they serve.”
